Pokemon: Otherworld Adventures
by BraviaryGirl7
Summary: After traveling around with Ash for four years, Pikachu, along with three close Pokemon friends, travel to another world where Pokemon don't even exist, befriend four chosen humans, and indulge themselves in a long chain of crazy adventures, fight dangerous foes, unlock the secrets from five thousand years ago, and find powers they never knew they had. My first crossover! Yay!
1. Prologue: Strange New World

Pokémon: Otherworld Adventures

**A/N: AWWW YEEEEAAAAAAAAH! CROSSOVER TIME! Ahem. Sorry, but this fanfic is going to be EPIC! Well, I think so. I really hope other people like it. Anyway, before we start, I'm going to explain****a little bit about this story. First, obviously, this is going to be an awesome Pokémon/Yu-Gi-Oh crossover, but the gist of this is the version of the classic Yu-Gi-Oh **_**I **_**always thought would be awesome since I was first introduced to it when I was five years old. Second, Ash will have Pokémon that he never actually caught in the series anime, and his Pikachu will have abilities that I came up with myself. Third, this isn't going to be about Yu-Gi-Oh characters going to the Pokémon world, but the exact opposite of that; Pokémon going to the Yu-Gi-Oh world. (Which is going to be referred to as the Human World so as not to cause confusion for the characters in the fanfics.) Fourth, this prologue will explain everything beforehand so nobody's confused by anything throughout the story. Fifth, for those of you who don't watch Yu-Gi-Oh, if you want to know what actually happens in the show, just imagine what happens without the Pokémon in there. Or watch it on the website or on Netflix if you have it. Let's see, is there anything else, or is everything covered? I think that's it, so I don't own either Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh, so why don't we get started!**

Prologue: A Strange New World

(Forest near Pallet Town)

A young Pikachu was walking through the woods he loved so much, living the carefree wild life, where all he had to worry about was aggressive Pokémon and being caught by humans. He had been born this way, and had always lived this way. He was a loner. He didn't need anyone but himself.

He climbed up a tree, plucked a berry from the branch above him, and lay back against the trunk, snacking on the berry. He was the only Pikachu in the woods that he knew of, but he didn't care. He was strong enough by himself to survive. He took a big bite out of the berry, causing some of its juice to drip onto his chest. After finishing the berry, he jumped down from the tree, gracefully landing on his feet, and decided to wash off at the nearby river.

When he reached the river, he dipped his paw in the clear water and then rubbed his paw against the stain on his chest fur, washing the juice out. Then, he dipped his head into the gently flowing river, then soon took it out and shook his head to dry it off. Feeling his throat was dry, he lapped up some of the clear water.

Done with the river, he walked downstream, looking for something interesting to do. After walking for a few minutes, his left ear twitched, as he could have sworn he heard something… strange. Carefully surveying the area, he checked for anything suspicious, but when he couldn't see anything, he resumed walking, but kept his ears up in case someone was stalking him.

After walking through the woods for quite a large amount of time, he noticed that he was in a place he had never been before, but he had some sort of urge to continue in the direction he was walking. He was slightly confused, but still walked in the same direction.

When he finally stopped walking, he realized that he had walked all the way to the heart of the forest. Before him stood a gigantic tree, with many branches and roots all spread around in every direction. He took a few steps toward the giant tree, and felt a sudden jolting sensation, telling him to keep walking. Still confused, he did so, and when he was but a few inches from the trunk of the towering tree, a brilliant flash of light appeared, and suddenly, the young Pikachu was in some sort of other dimension, completely surrounded by light.

"Hey, what happened? Where am I?" he asked, hoping for some sort of answer. One second later, he got his answer.

"Greetings, young hero." Said a voice that seemed to be coming from everywhere, a wise and gentle voice.

"What, hero? You don't mean me, do you? And who are you?" Pikachu asked.

"Yes, young hero, I mean you." Said the mysterious voice. "As for your other question, that will be answered when the time comes. At the moment, this is all I will tell you; you are the one who has been chosen to wield the power of… this." An object suddenly appeared in front of him. The object was a perfectly round purely white sphere roughly the size of a Poké Ball.

"Uh… What is this?" Pikachu asked.

"This… is the Sacred Core of Pure Light." Said the voice.

"W-what's the Sacred Core?" Pikachu asked.

"The Core is the object that contains the last of my power; Pure Light. Pure Light is the result of an incredibly strong bond of friendship. It holds immense power; more power than you can ever imagine… that is, if the one who wields it has a strong enough bond." Answered the voice.

"And… I'm supposed to wield its power? First of all, what am I supposed to use it for?" Pikachu asked.

"That is yet another thing that you will discover when the time comes." Said the voice.

"Okay….. And second, why me? I don't have any friends." Pikachu said.

"That is a problem that will be solved fairly soon, young hero." Said the gentle-tongued voice. "That is, provided that you are willing to accept this power. Let me tell you now, accepting this task will mean leaving this forest for quite a long time. However, you will make many friends that will help you through thick and thin." Pikachu wasn't sure how to answer. His whole life, he had lived without a care in the world, just staying in his forest, never relying on anyone but himself.

"Will I have to work with a human?" Pikachu asked.

"Well, yes, but if you are willing to give this a chance, I promise that you two will become inseparable friends. This human will be a true hero with a caring heart," Said the gentle voice with a slightly more cheerful tone, so as to better convince him. Pikachu, however, was still skeptical. "Please, little Pikachu, if you do not accept your destiny, it will mean the end of the world." Pikachu's eyes widened and he had definitely made up his mind.

"Alright, I'll do it. But I'm not sure I'll be able to befriend the human until he's earned my respect." Pikachu said. The Core floated into his paws, and it was suddenly on a string that was around his neck. It looked like it would have been heavy, but he didn't even feel it.

"Fair enough." The voice said before Pikachu was suddenly back in the forest, the Core still on a string around his neck.

"Well, that was weird." Pikachu said to himself while rubbing the back of his head in confusion.

"No! Leave me alone!" said a voice that was coming from the clearing to the left. Getting on all fours, Pikachu ran in the direction of the shout and found that a hoard of menacing looking Sandslash had cornered a Riolu against a tree.

"No way, pipsqueak. You need to learn a lesson about invading our territory, you little 'Aura Sensor'." Said the leading Sandslash while using a mocking tone upon the words 'Aura Sensor'. The Riolu tried to hide it, but he looked rather afraid of the menacing Sandslash.

"I already told you, I didn't know this was your territory! I'm sorry if you thought I was attacking! Just please let me go, o-or I'll be forced to knock all of you out!" the Riolu screamed in desperation. The Sandslash looked at each other and laughed, then turned back to the Riolu and held up their claws, showing that they were ready to attack.

Unable to just stand back and watch this happen, Pikachu ran out into the clearing and stood in front of the Riolu protectively, holding his arms up to the sides, showing the Sandslash that he would not let them get past him.

"Leave him alone!" Pikachu shouted. "He said he was sorry for invading your territory, so you have absolutely no reason to attack him! If this is how you treat intruders, then that just makes you no better than bullies! Besides…" he turned his head back to the surprised Riolu. "If you want to get to him, then first you have to get past me! You got it?" The Sandslash were amazed that this little Electric Type had the courage to stand up to them like that. They also thought about what he had said about them being bullies, and lowered their arms and walked off without a word. Pikachu smiled to himself before turning back to the Riolu.

"Hey, you okay? Those guys looked pretty tough." Pikachu asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Riolu said, a hint of genuine gratuity clear in his eyes. "Thanks for helping me, although I probably could've handled them by myself—ugh, who am I kidding? I wouldn't have stood a chance against them; I could tell their power level was much higher than mine, especially three on one. Sorry, I have a tendency to mouth off a bit at times, and it usually ends up getting me in trouble… like with those Sandslash. I said something stupid to their leader, and they all got mad."

"Really?" Pikachu asked.

"Yeah… I called him a sand rat…" Riolu said. "So, I really owe you one. Sincerely, thank you."

"Well, I couldn't just let them beat you up like that." Pikachu said with a smile. "I'm Pikachu, by the way."

"I'm Riolu. Nice to meet you." Riolu said while extending a paw. Pikachu grabbed it and they shook paws. Suddenly, they both heard the sound of a thunder crack, looked up, and saw the sky was now covered with gray storm clouds. Just as Pikachu looked up, a rain drop landed on his nose, causing him to instinctively close his eyes as it made contact.

"Uh, it might be a good idea to talk after we get some shelter." Pikachu said.

"Agreed." Riolu said. "Do you happen to know any nearby place we could stay?" Pikachu smiled.

"Actually, I just happen to have a den nearby. Come on." Pikachu gestured with his paw for Riolu to follow, and he did so.

* * *

The two had made it to the den just in time, just before the storm turned into a vigorous downpour. Riolu helped Pikachu light a campfire so they could keep warm during the freezing storm. As they settled down and got comfortable, a loud thunder crash echoed throughout the forest.

"Whoa, quite a storm, huh?" Riolu asked rhetorically. Pikachu scoffed.

"Nah, I've seen plenty of storms _much _worse than this one before." Pikachu said. "So, I've heard about Riolu before, and aren't they supposed to be able to sense Aura or whatever? So, how did you wander into the Sandslash's territory? Shouldn't you have been able to sense them?" Riolu blushed a bit from embarrassment.

"Well, it's a little more complicated than that." Riolu said. "See, there are Aura Readers, and Aura Guardians. I'm both a Reader and a Guardian—well, actually, kind of. See, I'm actually more like a Reader/Guardian in training. So, I'm still sort of working on the basic sensing and seeing Aura. Well, I can't exactly see Aura yet either… Although, I might be able to get the hang of it faster if I didn't spend so much time working on this." Riolu closed his eyes as if in deep concentration, and before Pikachu knew what was happening, a single leaf floated in front of his face, a blue light emanating around it. As Pikachu looked at it in awe, the leaf twirled slowly and then did a loop-the-loop in front of him. After floating around for a while longer, the leaf slowly floated to the floor. The moment the leaf touched the ground, Riolu gently exhaled and opened his eyes. Pikachu was amazed.

"Whoa! That was incredible!" he shouted, not knowing how else to express his amazement. Riolu rubbed the back of his head, slightly embarrassed.

"Heh, thanks." Riolu said. "You're probably wondering about that. Well, there's a legend that once in a generation, a single Riolu is born with the power of both an Aura Reader and an Aura Guardian, but also the power of a Psychic Type."

"So, I take it the legend is true?" Pikachu asked, already knowing what Riolu was going to say.

"Well, you just happen to be looking at this generation's Psychic Riolu." Riolu said proudly. "I've also been told that I'm pretty smart."

"That is amazing!" Pikachu gushed. "If you keep working hard at it, I'm sure you'll be a really strong Pokémon one day!" Riolu smiled, happy that someone appreciated his talent. "Just one more question."

"Shoot." Riolu said.

"Uh… Aren't Riolu supposed to live in a really far away region?" Pikachu asked.

"Yep, to be exact, Iron Island in the Sinnoh Region." Riolu answered, taking a bite of an Oran Berry.

"Then… how did you get here?" Pikachu asked. This question, for some reason, made Riolu tense up a bit, and he almost choked on the bite of berry he swallowed.

"Um, well… it's um… a bit… personal…. But if you really want to know, I'll tell you." Riolu said hesitantly. "See, back on Iron Island, I had a regular training area; a flat quarry near the edge of the island. One day, I guess I got too close to the cliff, and when I was trying out Fire Punch, the rock I was standing on crumbled for some reason, and I fell into the ocean…" This stunned Pikachu.

"What?! You fell into the ocean?!" he asked, surprised. Riolu sadly nodded.

"Yeah…" Riolu continued. "Fortunately, I managed to land on a piece of driftwood, but I was knocked unconscious, and the next thing I knew, I woke up on the shore and when I looked around, the wild Pokémon made me realize I was in the Kanto Region."

"When did that happen?" Pikachu asked.

"About a week ago." Riolu answered. "It only took me a few days to adjust to the different kind of habitat and climate, and I continued my training here. Although, I admit I miss all my friends back on Iron Island, and my dad." Riolu sighed sadly and hugged his knees, looking sadly at the floor. Pikachu felt his ears droop down, and he wore a sympathetic look on his face as he put his paw on Riolu's shoulder comfortingly. Riolu turned his head to Pikachu and gave him a small but sincere smile.

"Tell me about your friends and family." Pikachu said in an attempt to change the subject to one that might cheer Riolu up a little. Riolu's expression brightened slightly.

"Well, in my tribe, there are a lot of Riolu, and they all play by practicing their skills with each other." Riolu began. "There are a lot of training exercises, like 'Aura Seek'. It's sort of like Hide and Seek, but we use Aura to find each other before we are found. Then there's 'Sensory Races', which are races we run with our eyes closed, using Aura to find our way to the finish line without getting hurt. But our favorite thing to do is battle with each other." Riolu's eyes gained a certain fire to them at the thought of battling. "But when we're not playing, we're training individually. My dad usually helps me hone my skills. You know, my dad's not only the strongest Lucario in the tribe, but he's also the leader of the tribe, and my idol." Riolu's smile slowly faded. "He's the one who taught me that it's important to work hard until you're the very best that you can be. And that's why I promised him that I would continue my training until I've completely mastered all my skills. I have to fulfil that promise…" Riolu's once bright expression had now turned into a distant, determined one. Pikachu felt bad for Riolu to be so far away from his home, like he would soon be. He thought about what he could possibly say to lighten the mood. A smile soon crept onto his face when he suddenly knew just what to say.

"Hey, you strive toward that goal. But, do you think maybe you could have a friend to help you along the way?" Pikachu asked, extending his paw. Riolu looked at him with an amazed expression on his face, which was soon replaced with a bright smile as he got up and took Pikachu's paw and squeezed it tightly. Riolu's wide smile was from the feeling of comforting warmth in his heart at the thought of a new friend. After letting go of his paw, Pikachu thought it would be okay to tell his new friend about the new destiny that had been given to him. "You see this thing around my neck? Apparently I'm supposed to use it to save the world. And, to use it, I'm supposed to form strong bonds with friends—and I think I just found my first friend."

"Really?" Riolu asked. Pikachu nodded. "Let me see that for a second. Hmm…. It does seem to be high in foreign energy, which I can also sense. Energy is different from Aura, but my species is able to sense it as well."

"Really?" Pikachu asked, but not about the energy sensing. "Foreign energy… well, I guess I'll figure it out eventually." Immediately after he said that, Riolu yawned because of how late it was.

"Maybe we ought to go to bed, huh?" Riolu asked.

"Yeah, you're right." Pikachu agreed. So, the two of them set up a second bed of leaves, put out the campfire, and settled down in their respective beds.

"Good night." Riolu said.

"Good night." Pikachu replied. Soon, Riolu fell fast asleep. Pikachu, however, kept his eyes open to reflect on everything that had happened that day.

_So, I'm suddenly going on a quest to save the world, and I don't even know what I'm supposed to be saving it from. But, I've finally got an actual friend, and it feels good. It really does, but I really don't know what I'm supposed to do next. I guess, for now, I'll just focus on finding this human who's supposed to be my partner, but he'll still have to earn my respect before I do anything he says. I know very well that there are good trainers and bad trainers, and he's going to have to prove he's the good kind. ….Ugh, can't stay awake much longer… I'll just think about it more in the morning…_

* * *

Pikachu stretched and yawned as he sleepily opened his eyes, the rays of the morning's first sunshine stealing him away from a few more moments of rest. He looked over to the bed Riolu had slept in, and his eyes snapped open as he realized that Riolu wasn't there. He got up and looked around the den, but still couldn't see him.

He stepped out of the den, thinking he might not have gotten too far. In truth, he was rather worried that his new friend had really left, and if it was really so, he was determined to find Riolu before he got too far away. His ears drooped down slightly at the thought of his new friend leaving, but soon instinctively perked up again when he heard what he thought was the weirdest sound he'd ever heard; a high pitched whirring sound.

Curious, he followed the sound through the still slightly wet trees and treaded through the soft soil to a clearing where he saw Riolu sitting cross-legged on a rock with his eyes closed and his paws clasped together, presumably in deep thought. His breathing was very steady and rhythmic, as if he was focusing greatly on something. Pikachu wondered what he was doing, but his question was soon answered when Riolu stood up without opening his eyes and the Aura Sensors under his ears started rising slightly. He slowly took his paws apart, and as he did, a tiny little sphere of blue light formed and grew until it was around the size of a Poké Ball. Once it was large enough, Riolu gently pushed the sphere to the left, and it started orbiting around him at a very steady speed. Soon after, Riolu formed another sphere, and then held both his arms out to the sides, splitting the single sphere into two equally sized glowing orbs, and sent them into orbit along with the first one. After setting his arms down, he started doing some sort of motion, which looked a little like Tai Chi. As he moved his arms, the spheres rose and fell as his arms did. When he moved his paws to the side, as if pushing some invisible force, the spheres spread further apart and were then pulled in closer. When he at last relaxed his arms and exhaled, the spheres disappeared, but his eyes remained shut. Although he didn't move an inch, a light smile formed on his face.

"Good morning, sleepy head." He remarked, indicating the Pikachu behind him. Pikachu nearly reeled back in surprise from Riolu's apparent sensing he was there. What surprised him, though, was that Riolu had looked so focused on what he had been doing, so he had no way of knowing that he had sensed him behind the shrubs.

"I thought you couldn't sense Aura yet?" Pikachu asked as he stepped out into the clearing. Turning around and opening his eyes, Riolu faced his friend with a calm yet alert expression.

"Eh, I have my good days and my bad days," Riolu answered calmly and shrugged. "And besides, I've almost got the hang of sensing when someone's behind me, and on a really good day, sometimes I _can _see the color of Aura. Also, for some reason, my abilities are strongest early in the morning. I think that might have something to do with the fact that my species only evolves during the day." He continued, seemingly not wanting to leave anything out of his explanation.

"So, you could see my Aura?" Pikachu asked, not entirely sure what the answer would be. Riolu nodded in confirmation. "So, what color is my Aura?" Riolu's expression seemed to change to a slightly confused one.

"That's what confuses me." Riolu answered, looking at Pikachu inquisitively as if he was some new species. "Your Aura… is colored like a Rainbow."

"Like a Rainbow?" Pikachu repeated. Riolu nodded.

"Yes, which is exceedingly rare, or so I've heard." He replied. "Although, the weirdest part is the rumor that you can't be born with Rainbow Aura—it can only be obtained by some sort of extremely rare phenomenon that causes your energy waves to shift… or something like that. I only heard about that one time, so I don't remember exactly how the story goes, but even the wisest experts don't know exactly how it works." Pikachu remained silent, taking in what Riolu had just explained to him. Was the phenomenon Riolu mentioned similar to the events that had occurred the previous day? Or had it been something else? Perhaps, even, some strange cosmic event? Pikachu pondered these possibilities, trying to remember anything else that had happened to him earlier in his life that would qualify as strange.

"That is strange…" Pikachu finally replied. "Hey, that reminds me… I wanted to ask you if there are any humans around. I mean, I know humans come out to this forest to search for wild Pokémon to catch, but where would I go to find a human soon?"

"Wait… you _want _to find a human?" Riolu asked, completely bewildered. "Isn't the whole point of being a wild trying to keep from being caught? I mean, do you know what it feels like to be in a Poké Ball?" Pikachu honestly shook his head in response. "Well, to be honest, me neither, but I've heard that it's not a pleasant experience."

"Well, that may be true," Pikachu responded. "But I'm supposed to partner up with a human, so I better start looking for humans I guess?" Riolu nodded in understanding. He really seemed to trust him. Having someone trust him this much stirred a new feeling in Pikachu's heart—a feeling he liked.

"Well, if that's the case, then I'll be happy to help you find the humans." Riolu said with a sincere smile.

"Really?" Pikachu asked, not really able to believe his new friend's loyalty. Riolu nodded again.

"So," Riolu continued. "If my guess is correct, the best place to find a human is—" But Riolu was interrupted by a yell.

"Give it back!"

Surprised, the duo ran out of the clearing and back into the thick brush, hoping to find the source of the call. When they arrived at the end of the bushes, they peeked out from the spaces between the leaves to see a young Eevee being held against the trunk of a tree by the right paw of a Mankey who held a gold colored necklace with a heart shaped pendant hanging off it in the left paw, dangling it tauntingly in front of the Eevee's face.

"I said give it back!" the Eevee spat to the Mankey. In response, the Mankey just pushed her harder against the tree.

"Yeah, I don't think so, short stuff." Mankey sneered. "Hoarding sparkly treasures is just what I do, and I live by the rule, 'finders keepers, losers weepers'. So, I'm afraid your just gonna have to deal with it." Upon saying this, Mankey placed the necklace on the tip of his tail, and curled it tightly around the necklace so it wouldn't fall off. Using his free paw, he grabbed a low-hanging vine from a branch and used it to tie Eevee to the trunk. With that, Mankey snickered and began to walk away. Eevee tried struggling and thrashing in a desperate attempt to get out of the vine.

"No! Give it back! It's extremely important to me!" she shouted to the Mankey, who turned back around to face Eevee as he gave a grunt of annoyance. Grabbing a sticky leaf from a certain tree, he slapped it onto Eevee's mouth, making her shouts of protests into muffled cries as he crudely stated,

"Shut your mouth." And he turned around and began to walk away. As Eevee continued to desperately struggle to get free, she began to let tears fall, not able to stand the thought of losing her personal treasure to some jerky Mankey.

Back where Pikachu and Riolu had been watching, they couldn't take anymore of watching the misdeed play out. Pikachu turned his gaze to his friend to ask what they should do, only to find, to his confusion, that Riolu had an enraged expression on his face, his teeth gritted tightly. He even seemed to be quivering slightly with rage. Before Pikachu could stop him, Riolu leapt out of the safety of the shrub, and at an alarming speed, flung his outstretched paw at Mankey's back, and was soon standing over the shocked Mankey. With an almost terrifying expression, he growled,

"_Stealing is wrong,_" before he began to pummel the Mankey quite excessively. Pikachu stood watching dumbfounded for a few moments before walking over to the tree the Eevee was tied to and untied the vine with ease. Landing on all fours, Eevee took the leaf off her mouth and took a deep breath.

"Thank you. That vine was really uncomfortable." She said to Pikachu, who was currently watching Riolu viciously beating on the Mankey, making him wonder what had gotten into his friend.

"Hmm?" he hummed before directing his attention to Eevee. "Oh, well, yeah, I don't think I'd ever want to be tied to a tree… or anything, probably. Besides, we couldn't just sit there and do nothing. And by the time Riolu gets done with Mankey, you'll have that thing back, guaranteed," he replied as his gaze shifted back to the rather enraged Riolu, and began to wonder if he should step in and stop the fight. Curious, Eevee followed Pikachu's gaze over to the one-sided fight, and although she was glad that her item would soon be returned to her, she couldn't help but wonder if all the methods Riolu was using were absolutely necessary.

"Uh… Don't you think your friend might be going a tiny bit overboard?" she asked, struggling to find the right words to keep her question from sounding rude, especially after the two Pokémon had just gotten her out of a tight jam. Pikachu, however, was just as confused as she was.

"Well, if I had to be honest…" he tried to find the right words to respond, but trailed off when he saw Mankey clawing at the ground in a desperate attempt to get away, but was grabbed by the tail and pulled back into the battle.

"OKAY, ENOUGH! I GIVE, I GIVE!" Mankey finally shouted. Riolu ceased his furious attacks and stood over the terrified Mankey, holding his paw out flat, wordlessly demanding the return of Eevee's item. Nervously glancing back at his tail, Mankey took the necklace in his paw, threw it into the air and ran away screaming, possibly never to return. Effortlessly catching the necklace, Riolu smirked and took a moment to revel in his victory. Pikachu finally decided to approach his friend without fear, for he knew he needed to trust him, and asked what they had all been wondering.

"Don't you think you might have overdone that just a bit?" In response, Riolu turned to face Pikachu with a baffled expression on his face.

"No." he replied. "What makes you think that?" Pikachu nervously looked around, as if trying to find an escape route, but kept his cool the best he could.

"Um… no reason…" _I guess… _he added to himself. Riolu shrugged as the two walked back over to Eevee and presented her item to her, causing her eyes to light up as she happily accepted the item.

"Thank you so much! I don't know what I would have done if I had lost this!" she cried happily with a large and sincere smile as she slid the necklace back onto her neck.

"Hey, it was no problem," Pikachu replied with a kind smile. "Right, Riolu?" He directed his gaze over to Riolu, only to find that he seemed to be lost in his own mind; staring at something wide-eyed, seemingly not hearing him.

"Is your friend alright?" Eevee asked, her voice betraying worry.

"I… don't know…" Pikachu replied, not taking his eyes off of Riolu as he waved his paw in front of his face. "Uh… Riolu? Hello?" He snapped his fingers in front of Riolu's face, the noise causing him to blink and snap out of his apparent trance.

"Uh, what did you say?" he asked, completely oblivious to what had just been mentioned.

"…" Pikachu said nothing, still trying to figure out what had come over Riolu.

* * *

Later, the three Pokémon agreed to head to the shelter of a nearby hollow tree to talk everything out. After everyone had gotten comfortable, Eevee began the conversation by introducing herself.

"I still can't thank you two enough. I'm Eevee, by the way," she began.

"I'm Pikachu," Pikachu pronounced, pointing to himself. "And you've already met Riolu." Casting a sideways glance to Riolu, he eyed his friend cautiously to make sure he was still normal. After confirming Riolu was still fine, he directed his gaze back to Eevee.

"Well, I'm very pleased to meet you, Pikachu and Riolu," Eevee stated, seemingly have dropped the matter of Riolu's previously odd actions.

"It's nice to meet you too, Eevee," Pikachu replied. Riolu simply nodded with a wide, even slightly goofy smile on his face, signifying that he agreed. _Yes, it's very nice to meet you Eevee—_very _nice. _Riolu thought to himself.

"So, continuing, I think I can speak for both of us when I say that we're curious about what an Eevee's doing in this forest." Pikachu continued.

"Oh, of course." Eevee responded. "Well, I came here from a faraway region; the Kalos region. I grew up with my sisters and brothers in a place the humans call 'The Pokémon Hidden Village'. And see this necklace?" She put her paw on her necklace, and revealed that the heart-shaped pendant opened up like a locket, and inside it was a very human-like photo of Eevee with all of her evolved forms, all gathered up and looking very happy, just like a family. "I keep this with me, sort of as a reminder of my family and my home, and my oldest sister gave it to me to tell me that I could come home at any time since I left home to see the world. See, Pokémon who are born in the village, they never leave, so they never learn about the rest of the world. My family never thought of me as weak and frail, but they always did warn me not to leave the village. But I wanted to see the world, not just spend my whole life in a forest. So, about a year back, they finally allowed me to leave the village, and gave me the necklace." Eevee explained. "I ended up here by sneaking on a boat after I made my way to a town with a harbor—Coumarine City I think?—and got off when it stopped in Kanto. I'd say that happened about a month ago, and I arrived in this forest about, uh, I'd say a week ago."

"Hey, same with me!" Riolu suddenly interjected. "I arrived in this forest about a week ago. …Uh, sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt." He stood up and bowed apologetically, then sat back down as he said this. Eevee held up her paw in a way that told him to stop.

"No, it's okay." She reassured. "I've kind of been hogging the conversation, anyway. You know about me, now I want to know about you two. You go ahead and start, Riolu."

* * *

So, the next few hours were spent talking about origins and homes, although most of the talking was done by Riolu and Eevee, as both seemed to want to learn as much as they could about other regions, and since Pikachu had lived in the woods his whole life, he didn't have anything to say for a while. This ultimately led to them unintentionally shutting Pikachu out of the conversation, but he didn't mind. Frankly, he was glad to see his new friends talking like this. Although, after a while, the conversation got slightly boring to Pikachu, and before he knew it, he began to drift off to sleep…

"But I see I'm not the only one with a pendant. What's the story with yours, Pikachu?" …that is, until Eevee's question to him snapped him out of his 'nap'.

"Huh? Wha?" he murmured, trying to snap back to reality. "Oh, the pendant. Yeah, that's… uh…" Pikachu was quite honestly unsure whether or not to tell Eevee about his pendant. He glanced over to Riolu, as if to ask what he should do. Noticing his friend's gaze, Riolu nodded to him in confirmation that it would be safe to tell her.

"Well," Pikachu began. "It started out yesterday…"

So, Pikachu explained everything to Eevee, from how he got the pendant to how he met Riolu to what he was supposed to do next. Eevee listened attentively and seemed to understand everything, even the part about finding a human. She could even be called excited as she listened to the part about leaving the forest.

"That's so cool!" she said as Pikachu finished his story.

"Really?" Pikachu asked. "You believe that weird story just like that? I mean, I'm telling the truth, but still…" Eevee simply nodded, her smile never leaving her face.

"Sure, why not?" she responded. "I've always believed in all the Legendary Pokémon, so how should this be any different? And besides, neither of you seem like the type who tell lies like that."

"Well, I'm glad that you believe us," Pikachu honestly stated with a sincere smile.

"Well, good," Eevee began. "Because, while you were talking about that, I was wondering… could I come with you two?" Shocked upon hearing this, Pikachu turned his gaze back to his friend for some kind of answer, only to find Riolu was looking at him with an equally shocked expression. Soon after though, their expressions changed and turned to smiles.

"Are you really sure you want to?" Pikachu asked. Eevee nodded in confirmation.

"Of course," Eevee replied. "I've wanted to go on an adventure, and if there's some dangerous enemy lurking in the shadows, I want to do whatever I can to help. Besides, I would really like to make some friends that I can actually stay with. Frankly, I don't see any reason _not _to go with you." Pikachu opened his mouth to reply, but was stopped when Riolu suddenly stepped between them.

"Um, could you give us a second to talk privately?" he asked Eevee as politely as he could. Eevee nodded in understanding, and Riolu grabbed Pikachu's arm and pulled him outside of the hollow tree.

"Oof!" Pikachu grunted as Riolu pushed him into the open far away enough from the tree that they could talk without anyone else hearing them. "What's gotten into you?" he asked.

"I just wanted to make sure you said yes," Riolu answered, much to Pikachu's puzzled surprise.

"Huh?" he grunted, unable to comprehend his friend's answer. Riolu sighed and began to explain.

"Look, you yourself said that we're going to need more allies, and she believes it, so I don't see any reason to turn her down," Riolu explained. Pikachu, however, still didn't quite understand.

"Wh-what? I-it seems to me that you really want her to come…" Pikachu murmured. He meant it to be to himself, but Riolu had caught it anyway.

"N-no, I just think she'd be a helpful ally," Riolu said as a very small and barely visible blush somehow crept onto his face. Pikachu mentally shrugged, deciding to drop the subject. _Well, I suppose that he's right… she would make a powerful ally._

"Sure, why not?" he agreed.

* * *

"Eevee, you'll be glad to know that we've decided to accept your offer," Pikachu began to tell Eevee after he and Riolu had returned to the tree. "Welcome to the group, Eevee!"

"Yes!" Eevee exclaimed in happiness as she did a little jump. "I promise you won't regret this!"

"Glad to have you aboard!" Pikachu said as Riolu simply nodded in agreement.

"So, what's our next move?" Eevee asked, putting on a serious face and directing her gaze to Pikachu, who was slightly taken aback.

"What? Why are you asking me?" he asked.

"Well, you're the one with the special pendant, and you're the one _we're _following, so it seems only natural that you're the one in charge," Eevee responded.

"She _does _make a good point," Riolu quipped, to Pikachu's increased nervousness.

"Um, okay," Pikachu reluctantly agreed, trying to sound authoritative, but failing due to his anxiety from the fact that he had never lead anything or anyone before. "Uh, as the leader, I say the first thing we do…" he began in his best fake confidence voice, but was awkwardly interrupted when his stomach growled loudly enough for the whole room to hear. "…is get something to eat." In response, his two new teammates started breaking out in a fit of laughter, soon followed by Pikachu himself, who couldn't even believe the ridiculousness of his own joke.

* * *

Later, Pikachu had lead them to a spot where ripe berries grow, and after they ate their fill they all agreed to head towards the edge of the forest. This was where trainers often searched for wild Pokémon to catch, so it would be an ideal place to try and find Pikachu's human partner. Pikachu had learned in the past to stay away from that sector, but at this point, he had to basically disregard nearly all the rules he had taught himself over the years, so he lead them all through the thick shrub and brush until they eventually came to a clearing so large, the entire thing couldn't be seen from one spot.

"Okay, we should be getting near the edge," Pikachu announced as they all stopped for a quick rest. "Once we get out of this clearing, we need to look for a path; that's where trainers usually are."

"Alright, then let's get looking for it," Riolu stated as he stood up on the rock he had been sitting on. Eevee soon followed and got up from the heap she had gotten comfortable in as they both followed Pikachu cautiously through the gigantic clearing, keeping their eyes peeled for any aggressive Pokémon, also to make sure that no trainers could catch them off guard. Luckily, they didn't run into any angry residents, seeing as everyone stayed inside their homes where no one could see them during the usual hours when the trainers began to stray off the path to find rare, wild Pokémon, and they had gotten there considerably early, so they were also quite fortunate to not get jumped by a trainer. Although, soon after they came close to the path, Pikachu caught notice of something that was quite out of the ordinary; a bunch of ripe, healthy green leaves, piled up in a heap on the ground nowhere near a tree, and in the middle of spring.

"Hey, what in the world is that?" Pikachu muttered to himself, completely forgetting about his two teammates behind him.

"What's what?" Riolu asked, trying to see what his friend was looking at, but Pikachu didn't hear him; he was too focused on the leaf pile. He gently and slowly approached it, wary that it might be something dangerous a trainer left behind to trap something. He carefully reached his paw toward it and pulled a single leaf off the pile, revealing a spot of bright yellow. Surprised, Pikachu brushed the rest of the leaves away as his companions walked up behind him to get a better view. Once all the leaves were gone, the object that had been concealed by them was revealed to be a bright yellow oval-shaped object with a zig-zagged stripe of black on the bottom—it was a tiny egg. As the three Pokémon looked in awe at the precious object, they had to wonder where in the world it had come from.

"What's an egg doing out in the middle of this forest?" Riolu asked no one in particular. In response, Eevee shrugged while grunting 'I don't know'. Pikachu, though, was still mesmerized by the wonder in front of him.

"Who does it belong to…?" Pikachu muttered under his breath.

"I'll try to find out if you want," Riolu said. Pikachu tore his gaze away from the egg for a second to nod at his friend, signifying for him to do that, then returned his attention to the egg, as if afraid that if he took his eyes off of it, it would disappear or be taken away by a random phenomenon. The next second, Riolu jumped away rather quickly to try and find the egg's family. Pikachu and Eevee stayed behind to keep a watch out for predators, or watch in case the parents came back.

* * *

Riolu returned to the sight about an hour later, where Pikachu was still watching the egg attentively, while Eevee was unable to keep her eyes open due to her having a long day, although Pikachu was still just barely staying awake. However, upon Riolu's return, the two became fully awake and were prepared to listen attentively to his findings with hopeful expressions.

"I'm sorry, but I asked every Pokémon around here and then some. No one knew anything about it," Riolu told them. Their hopeful smiles faltered upon hearing these words.

"So… does that mean it's abandoned?" Eevee asked sadly.

"I guess…" Riolu uttered. The three silently took a moment to take it in.

"So, what do we do with it now?" Eevee asked. Riolu shrugged half-heartedly in response, so both of them turned to Pikachu, who had been watching the egg again. He was staring at it sadly with his ears drooped all the way down, wanting to apologize to it for not being able to find its parents or any of its family, making him realize how lonely he had truly been throughout the years.

"I don't know…" he said as he reached his paw toward the egg, gently placing it on the shell so as not to damage it. However, as soon as he touched it, it began to glow with a blinding flash, and its form began to waver. Their attention fully directed at the egg as it began to change excessively, and as the glowing finally subsided, the egg was gone, and in its place was a tiny little yellow rodent-like creature with large black-tipped ears, a zig-zagged stripe of black right on its neck, and had little, round, pink cheeks.

"It's a Pichu," Riolu whispered to his friends as they watched the little one sleep.

"_Chuuuuu…_" it quietly snored. Pikachu smiled warmly at the newborn, completely captivated by it. Perhaps it brought back a distant memory of when he was a child.

"It's so cute… looks like it's a boy," Eevee deduced. It was about this time when Riolu noticed something.

"But, guys, should its—his—ears be that big?" he asked, pointing to the Pichu's ears. Indeed, the Pichu's ears were quite a bit larger than they would normally be; one could even say they were bigger than his head. "Perhaps a rare slight mutation?" Riolu mused as he picked up the sleeping baby by one of its ears.

"Uh, I wouldn't do that if I were—" Pikachu tried to warn him, but too late—the Pichu involuntarily shocked Riolu, causing him to fall to the ground, paralyzed.

"Wow… he's a lot stronger than he looks…" Riolu struggled to speak due to his paralysis, so Eevee handed him a Cheri Berry, which he gratefully ate. The Pichu had gently slid back onto the ground, and began to yawn as he woke up. As he slowly opened his eyes for the first time, he noticed the three figures in front of him, and as his gaze fell onto Pikachu, he immediately felt comforted.

"Chuuuuu!" he cried out as he leapt into Pikachu's arms. Pikachu nearly staggered back, greatly surprised and barely able to catch the little creature.

"He must feel a sense of familiarity from you," Riolu deduced. "So, what are we going to do with him?" As Riolu asked this, Pichu looked up at Pikachu with cute, big eyes.

"F….. fa…." Pichu struggled to speak, being a newborn. "Fa…..mi…..ly?" Pikachu smiled lovingly at the bundle in his arms.

"Let's keep him," Pikachu finally said. Riolu and Eevee smiled at the tiny Pokémon, silently agreeing.

* * *

"…and this is a tree. Trees are great for climbing," Pikachu explained. Pichu, riding on his head, pointed to the tree.

"T-tree!" he repeated, proud of all he had learned so quickly from the three Pokémon who he was convinced that were his official family.

"Okay, so what have you learned so far?" Pikachu asked. Jumping down from his head, Pichu stood in front of him, standing up straight as he prepared to recite from his memory.

"That's a rock," he said, pointing to a pebble, "that's a leaf," pointing to a leaf on a branch above them, "that's grass," looking down at his feet, "that's a tree, and that's the sky, and that's the sun and that's a cloud!" He puffed his chest out with pride, quite pleased that he could remember all that.

"That's right," Pikachu nodded. "And I am?"

"You're Pikachu, that's Eevee, and that's Riolu!" Pichu happily exclaimed, pointing to each of the Pokémon. "And I'm PICHU!" Pikachu smiled, quite proud of how quickly he had been able to teach the little one to talk.

"That's right, Pichu. Great memory," Pikachu complimented.

"Thanks, Big Brother!" Pichu shouted, jumping in the air and letting out a shower of tiny sparks. Pikachu's smile almost disappeared before he caught himself and continued a weak smile. He didn't dare tell the little Tiny Mouse Pokémon the truth about where he had come from. He was afraid that knowing the truth might break the little one's heart, or even worse. He hated keeping a secret from one of his newfound friends—especially one who thought of him as a brother—but he felt that this was the best choice. Regaining his happy demeanor, he smiled widely and ruffled the fur on Pichu's head.

"Come on, we have to get going," he said, gesturing with his paw for his team to follow him.

"Why?" Pichu asked, walking right next to him.

"Well, we have to find the humans," Pikachu explained.

"Why?" Pichu asked again.

"Well, that's a bit of a long story…" Pikachu began. "See, it all began yesterday…"

* * *

"Wow! That's so cool!" Pichu said when Pikachu finished his story, although he had left out everything involving finding his egg.

"And so, we have to find the human who's supposed to be my partner. This particular part of the forest usually has a lot of trainers searching for wild Pokémon, so we should head just a bit further. Up ahead, there should be a path… Ah, here we are!" Pikachu announced. The four had finally arrived at the path. The forest scenery had not changed, but trees had been further apart.

"Okay, so this is where the trainers are?" Eevee asked. Pikachu nodded in response.

So, the four began to walk down the path, searching for anything that would indicate the presence of a trainer. They kept their wary eyes on the shrubs on each side of the path, honestly afraid of what would happen if a trainer snuck up on them, but none of them cared to admit it. After a while, Riolu noticed that there was extra weight on his head; he looked up to find that Pichu had climbed up on top of him to rest after his legs had gotten tired. Riolu wanted to say something, but just disregarded it and kept walking as if nothing happened. After walking for what was close to three hours, nothing changed, except the position of the sun. They all thought of turning back and searching somewhere else….. until something happened. And it had all happened so fast that Pikachu barely had time to blink before a human stood before them, holding up a full-sized Poké Ball. His eyes widened as he realized the human would probably be after his friends rather than him. Worried for their safety, he shouted at them to run, and although reluctant, they obeyed and were soon out of sight. Getting into his hostile stance, Pikachu growled as best he could at the trainer, who was unfazed by his attempt to be intimidating. Tossing the ball into the air, it opened and out came a Growlithe.

"Growlithe, use Flamethrower!" the trainer commanded. The Growlithe opened its mouth wide as it gathered its flames, releasing them into a steady, powerful stream of piping hot embers, hitting Pikachu right in the stomach, knocking him back a few feet. Recovering from a daze and getting back on all fours, Pikachu ran towards his opponent, storing up electricity, and released the stored energy in a mighty Thundershock which hit the Growlithe dead-on, but only seemed to damage it a little bit.

"Feisty one, are ya?" the trainer muttered. "Well, your health ought to be down enough. Growlithe, use Toxic!" as he commanded this, Growlithe spat up a purple blob, hitting Pikachu in the face. After shaking the gooey substance off in disgust, Pikachu snarled at his opponent, showing he was still in the game. Soon, however, he felt his energy being drained rather quickly, and realized it was because of the Toxic, which badly poisons its target.

"Heh, that ought to do it," the trainer smirked as he took an empty Poké Ball from his belt. "Go, Poké Ball!" Pikachu had so much of his energy drained, he was flat on the ground, and barely had the strength to look up as the ball hit his person, and the rest to him was a blur.

* * *

… Dark. Everywhere Pikachu looked, it was completely dark. He tried to move, but he couldn't. It was like being chained up by non-existing shackles in a dark room where you couldn't see your own paws, you probably couldn't even see your own nose if you crossed your eyes. Pitch black. Nowhere to go. Nothing to see. No way to move. Nothing. He remembered that he had been placed in a Poké Ball, and realized that he had been captured. For the first time in his life, Pikachu felt something new—something that made him start to breathe harder, something that made his heart beat faster, something that began to make him sweat. He recognized it as fear. However, this felt like it surpassed simple fear. _Terror. _Pikachu realized for the first time in his life that he had a certain fear; a fear of being trapped. He began to wonder how long he was going to stay in there, until his thoughts were interrupted when he heard two voices conversing somewhere in the distance, most likely from outside the Poké Ball.

"_Professor Oak, I've brought you another new Pokémon for your research. There were others, but they got away," _stated a familiar voice, which Pikachu recognized as the trainer. He felt relieved that his friends were safe, but was still worried of what was going to happen to him.

"_Ah, thank you. You've been such a big help lately," _an elderly voice replied, presumably Professor Oak.

"_Good luck training this one, though. I can tell he's got a free spirit."_

"_Oh, I don't think it could be that bad."_

"_Okay… Well, here you go."_

The last thing Pikachu remembered was hearing these voices before drifting off into a deep sleep…

* * *

When Pikachu awoke, his eyes still clenched closed, the first thing he realized was that he could move again. Opening his eyes, he surveyed the area, and saw he was in a rather peaceful field, and nearby was a large building. Turning back to the field, he noticed how spacious it was. The field was filled nearly to the brim with scampering Pokémon. There was a large lake over a ways, filled with many Water Pokémon to add to the land dwellers; all of which seemed to be staring at him. Upon realizing all the attention they were giving him, he shot a glare at the crowd, who immediately went back to their normal routines. At the moment, Pikachu wasn't interested in conversing with any of the other Pokémon as long as his friends weren't there. Looking around again, he noticed a small fence, and a chance to escape. He didn't care if he was finally near humans; he was determined to find his partner with his friends. He began to run towards the fence, completely ignoring everything else around him, only to find that he seemed to be confined in the field by some unknown force, as he was knocked back when he reached the fence. _What in the world? _He thought as he rose from the ground. Suddenly, the door from the building opened and out stepped an elderly human.

"Sorry, but you're not going anywhere until a trainer decides to take you. Until then, I'll be training you," the man said. Pikachu recognized the voice as the person the trainer had been talking to; Professor Oak.

* * *

Unable to leave the research laboratory, Pikachu put up with the Professor trying to train him to be a civilized Pokémon, but with little success, because Pikachu was easily good at resisting. He stayed at the lab for several weeks, attempting to escape and resisting the training, because he wasn't just going to be partner to the first trainer who walked through the door…

Finally, the day of choosing Pokémon came. Pikachu was, once again, forced into the Poké Ball. He absolutely hated the fact that he could only hear voices in that awful void. He was quite relieved that none of the three trainers took him as their partner, but he was quite surprised when a fourth came; he was told there would only be three.

"_I thought about it a lot, and it took me a long time, but I finally decided to choose Squirtle. Oh!"_

"_Already taken by someone who was on time."_

"_Oh, I wish I hadn't overslept. But now I will choose as my Pokémon Bulbasaur! Ah!"_

"_That one was also taken by a kid who wasn't late."_

"_Oh, well, that's no problem, because my Pokémon will be Charmander! Oh!"_

"_The early bird gets the worm, or in this case, the Pokémon."_

"_Does that mean all the Pokémon are gone?"_

"_Well, there is still one left, but I…"_

"_Professor, I'll take it!"_

_Oh, no…_

"_I think I should warn you. There is a problem with this last one."_

"_I have to have a Pokémon."_

"_Well, in that case…"_

Pikachu felt an odd mixture of relief and anxiety as he felt himself being released from the Poké Ball, and stood on the table in front of the old Professor and a black haired boy… in his pajamas?! Pikachu could do nothing as he surveyed the boy, trying to figure him out.

"Its name is Pikachu," Prof Oak said after Pikachu tried to say 'hello', but to the boy, it came out as 'Pi-ka-chu'.

"Oh, it's so cute, it's the best of all," the boy said.

"You'll see," Prof Oak warned. Ignoring him, the boy picked up Pikachu and hugged him.

"Oh, hi, Pikachu," he greeted. However, Pikachu responded with extreme annoyance, as he couldn't believe that this human was supposed to be his partner, so he did the only thing he could; he shocked him.

* * *

After shocking the boy several other times, (as well as several other people) they were finally on the road, with the boy (whose name was Ash, as Pikachu found out) dragging him along with a clothesline and wearing rubber gloves so he couldn't shock him again. Ash tried to befriend Pikachu, but with little success. Pikachu's disobedience, along with Ash's abundant, err, determination, caused a chain reaction that ended up with the two of them being chased by a flock of Spearow, which Pikachu managed to chase off after Ash finally earned his trust as a good trainer. However, Pikachu was left severally injured, leaving Ash to get him to the Pokémon Center in time. He made it just in time, allowing Pikachu to recover. However, they were attacked by a gang of goons, and somehow managed to make the whole thing explode. Later, they were about to head into the Viridian Forest, when they were stopped by three familiar faces—Riolu, Eevee, and Pichu showed up just before they entered the forest. Seeing as the humans couldn't understand their speech, Riolu explained who they were through Telepathy. They told Ash they wanted to go with him because Pikachu had accepted him, and that he wouldn't need to put them in Poké Balls. Ash eagerly agreed as he and the girl who was following him (Misty, because Pikachu had accidentally cooked her bike medium rare during the Spearow attack) welcomed them into the group. As they all finally headed into the looming forest, Pikachu told Riolu that he had been right about the experience of being inside a Poké Ball; it had not been pleasant.

* * *

And so, Ash, Pikachu, Riolu, Eevee, and Pichu, along with many other traveling companions, traveled around many regions, catching new Pokémon friends, growing stronger, earning Ash the badges needed to compete in the Pokémon Leagues, and forming their bonds. Over the years, they all became extremely close, some might call them inseparable. After four years, (ending the journeys through Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh) the group was finally allowed a well-deserved break… or so it seemed…

**Pikachu's 'Dream'…**

Light. Above and below. Left and right. Everywhere he looked was white. Pikachu knew exactly where he was.

"Hello? Voice?" he called, hoping for a response.

"Hello, little one," the naturally comforting voice called back.

"It's been a while since we've spoken."

"Yes, it has. Now, tell me, how does it feel to have friends?"

"It feels good. Really good." Although he couldn't see the source, he could somehow tell that the owner of the voice was smiling.

"Well, good, because I believe you are now ready to take the next step."

"Next step?"

"Yes, for there is a disturbance in another world."

"ANOTHER WORLD?!"

"Surprising to you, I see. Yes, there are other worlds parallel to this one. And at the moment, there is a large anomaly in a certain world."

"Anomaly?"

"Yes, you see, each world secretly relies on basic rules of nature. In each world, these rules vary slightly. Regardless, it is very important that these basic rules are never broken, lest they cause an anomaly. An anomaly is a strange phenomenon that occurs when a law of nature is broken. Usually, however, when a law is broken, it means that this world is preparing for something. And in this case, something huge. So huge, in fact, that I fear the heroes of that world that were chosen to face this coming time will not be able to face this alone. Which is where you and your friends come in. I am afraid Ash will not be able to come with you four, but rest assured, this will not take any time at all."

"Okay, I'll do it. Just one question; we have to travel to this other world?"

"Yes."

"So how are we going to get there?"

"That is all taken care of. Now, I must warn you beforehand; this world will be very different from yours. However, I am confident that you will be quick to adapt. When you wake up, tell your friends what I told you, and when the sun is high tomorrow, I will guide you four to your method of transportation."

"Okay."

**End of 'Dream'…**

* * *

So, Pikachu told his friends what he had just dreamt about, and at high noon the next day, Pikachu let the Voice guide them through the woods near the town, and soon, stood before them a gateway. It was like the frame of a door, and had a kind of antennae-like thing at the top.

_Now, simply touch it, and the Light shall open the Portal._

As Pikachu gently and cautiously put his paw on it, it emitted a blinding flash, and soon, the inside of the Portal glowed a deep blue. Pikachu and his friends decided to just jump right in, and immediately felt themselves being hurled left and right, as if they were in a stormy sea, and another flash of blinding light appeared, and then silence.

* * *

As they dizzily lifted themselves up, they noticed they were in another forest, but it was different.

"Ugh, my head…" Riolu complained, still dizzy.

"Why is everything moving?" Pichu slurred, attempting to walk but instead wobbled around.

"Ooh…" Eevee winced, as she had landed on her head. Looking around, she noticed the difference. "Um, where are we?"

"I… don't know, but I think it worked." Pikachu remarked, noticing the change in the air. Once everyone had recovered and was seeing straight, they headed out of the forest and searched for any signs of humans or Pokémon. However, just before they left, they found a creature that was unlike any they had ever seen before; it was small and furry, with little buck teeth and a huge bushy tail.

"What is that?" Pichu whispered, riding atop Pikachu's head.

"I don't know." Riolu shrugged.

"Well, why don't we just ask it?" Eevee quipped. Approaching the creature, Eevee tried her best to contain her confusion. "Excuse me, could you tell us what you are?" The creature tilted its head in confusion.

"I should asking you guys the same thing," it squeaked.

"Oh, sorry." Pikachu apologized. "We are Pikachu, Riolu, Eevee, and Pichu. We're Pokémon."

"Um… okay… And I'm a squirrel." The furry creature explained. "So, uh, what's a Pokémon?" However, this was only met with more confusion from the Pokémon.

"What's a 'sqee-er-el'?" Pichu countered, having trouble pronouncing the strange word.

"Touché," the squirrel clicked.

"Um, do you think you could tell us where a town is, or are there any humans here?" Pikachu asked. The squirrel chittered in confusion as its eyes darted around.

"Um, there are humans, but, uh… why do you want to find them? Any wild animal in their right mind wouldn't go searching for them, unless they were tamed or something. No offense, though." The squirrel said, only to receive confused blinks from the Pokémon.

"What's an 'aminal'?" Pichu finally piped up. The squirrel's tail hit the ground in disbelief.

"Uuuuhhhhh….. Oooookaaaaaay…. I think I'll just tell you the nearest human town is about a few yards in the direction behind me and get back to my nuts." The squirrel said. "Since I seem to have more nuts than I can handle here." He added under his breath as he scampered off.

"Okay, thank you!" Riolu called off to the squirrel, ignoring the last comment. "Let's just get going so we don't have to deal with any more WEIRD creatures."

* * *

After a while longer of walking, the Pokémon finally arrived at the city, which they had learned from a sign was named Domino City. **(A/N: That **_**is **_**the legitimate name for that town, just FYI. For anyone who cares.) **They stayed close to the edge so they wouldn't get caught, because they had picked up an idea that people would probably be staring at them, seeing as they had run into quite a few other strange creatures that had all said the same thing; 'What the heck are you?' They merely assumed that they had ended up in a strange place and would run into other Pokémon when they reached the town, so when they did, they were quite surprised at the vastness of the place. The buildings were so tall, creatures their size could barely see the tops, and the streets were more abundant than they had ever seen.

"Well, let's go!" Pichu cheerily said as he ran out onto the street. Riolu's eyes widened as he saw why there were so many streets.

"Pichu, look out!" he shouted, but Pichu's attention was directed to the source of Riolu's panic a little too late to get out of the way of the speeding car. He screamed as he thought he was going to be flattened, but when he opened his eyes, he saw he was safely on the other side in Pikachu's arms. Riolu and Eevee had also safely gotten to the other side thanks to Riolu's use of Agility. They all looked back at the street and saw about a million more cars speeding by.

"Wow, the skyscrapers, I'm fine with, but I've never seen so many cars before." Riolu remarked. "I mean, we've been in towns this big before, but…"

"Yeah, I know." Eevee replied. "I mean, even so, we've only been to several huge towns with skyscrapers. Like, uh…" Eevee tried to remember, but since the first time was soon after the journey began, all she could remember was the town had a funny name.

"You mean Hop-Hop-Hop Town?" Pichu asked.

"Yeah, then there was Kumquat Island." Riolu added. Before they knew it, they were all laughing at the ridiculousness of the names. They finally continued wandering, being wary of anything that was potentially dangerous, and eventually came to a building that appeared to be a game shop, and ran into (almost literally) four teenagers. At first, the four Pokémon and four humans just stood in the evening light, trying to figure the other out.

"What do we do?" Eevee whispered.

"I don't know, but I think the Voice is saying that these humans are the 'ones chosen of this world'." Pikachu whispered back.

"So, shouldn't we try talking to them?" Pichu asked innocently.

"Are you crazy? They won't be able to understand a word we say." Riolu said to the Pichu who was currently resting on his head.

"Well, it never hurt to try and introduce ourselves." Pikachu reasoned and took a step towards the humans. "Hello," he greeted, expecting it to sound like 'Pi-ka-chu' to them, but their reaction was far from what he had expected.

"Aah! They can talk!" the tall, blond teen gasped.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Riolu interjected. "Are you saying that you can _understand _us?!"

"That one's talking too…" the tall, brown haired teen murmured.

"Cool!" Pichu, having heard the statement, exclaimed as he jumped off of Riolu's head.

"Well, I guess it just simplifies things." Eevee added.

"They're all talking now…" the brown haired girl added. Pikachu stared a bit in slight confusion before replying again.

"Well, I guess it _does _simplify things. Hello, my name is Pikachu, and these are my friends, Riolu, Eevee, and my little brother, Pichu. We are Pokémon." Pikachu introduced to the stunned humans.

"Eh… Any idea what that is?" the blond teen asked the brown haired teen.

"No idea…"

"No one here knows what we are?" Pichu asked confusedly.

"Well, I guess since we're in a different world…" Riolu summed up.

"Wha? Another world?!" the spiky haired teen asked, shocked by what Riolu had slipped.

"Well, yes. I guess I'll start by explaining that…"

* * *

And so, the final evening hours were spent by the Pokémon explaining where they came from, and how they were told that they were needed in that world. At first, the small group was a bit reluctant to believe them, seeing as they had lived in reality for so long, but one was willing to allow the chance that it was true—the spiky haired teen. He decided to take the chance that they were telling the truth and introduced his friends. The spiky haired teen was named Yugi, the blond teen's name was Joey, the brown haired teen was named Tristan, and the girl's name was Téa. Yugi decided that perhaps his grandfather would know about it, seeing as he had been on many travels around the world.

"Well, I can't say that I've ever heard of anything like this…" Yugi's grandfather, Solomon, mused. Pikachu tensed up on the counter he stood on, knowing it did not bode well for them. "However, I wouldn't say it's impossible. Strange things have happened before… And the possibility of other worlds hasn't been proven to be false yet. Although I admit that their claiming to have powers over elements is a bit of a stretch, it's still not impossible."

"Yeah! Watch this!" Pichu piped up and climbed onto Joey's head, then released a Thundershock.

"He-e-e-e-e-y!" Joey stammered out as Pichu's tiny shocks coursed through his body.

"Oops, might have overdone it a little. Sorry about that!" Pichu laughed sheepishly.

"Nevertheless, I believe this proves our point." Riolu sighed. Then, for good measure, but mostly just to mess with them, he formed an Aura Sphere in his left hand and held onto it as he surveyed the room, as if looking for a target.

"Okay, okay, we believe you! Just don't break anything!" Yugi shouted as he held his hands up to stop Riolu. Riolu smirked as he diminished his focus and let the sphere vanish.

"Relax. We're more civilized than that." Pikachu reassured.

"Yeah, I wouldn't intentionally break something." Riolu added. "Anyway, we'd better head back to the forest." Soon, all four of them began to head towards the door of the game shop.

"Wait, you're leaving?" Yugi asked.

"No, not for good. Just for the night." Pikachu said without turning around. "The forest is, so far, the only thing familiar about this world, and besides, we don't want to be a burden." He pulled the door open and they prepared to leave.

"Uh… wait!" Yugi called.

"Yes?" Pikachu asked as he turned around.

"I don't think you'd be a burden." Yugi said kindly. "And I'd like to be friends."

"Yeah." Joey spoke up. "Aside from the shocks and weird, crazy spheres, you guys don't seem half bad." Pikachu smiled a bit at the thought of making new friends so quickly.

"I guess you could stay here for a while, if you wanted." Yugi offered.

"Thanks, but I think we'll stick to the forest for now. Like Pikachu said, we don't want to be a burden." Riolu said before Pikachu could answer, and he, Eevee, and Pichu left. Pikachu, however, had stayed for a while, even after the rest of the teens had gone home for the night.

"Um… actually, I wouldn't mind staying here for a while…" Pikachu admitted. _Sheesh, I hope I haven't lost my wild side. I mean, I can't stand not being around humans for one night? _Yugi smiled and glanced over to his grandpa, silently asking for his approval. Solomon smiled warmly at his grandson's generosity, and then nodded.

* * *

"Well, I guess you're staying in my room." Yugi stated as he showed Pikachu his room after he had changed.

"Um, there doesn't seem to be anything besides your bed to sleep on…" Pikachu remarked as he surveyed to room.

"Hmm…" Yugi hummed in thought. "Oh, I got an idea. Wait right here." He walked over to his closet, rummaged around through some things, and a minute later, he dragged out a tiny, round bed. "It's an old dog bed we've kept for a few years. I thought this could make a good bed for you." Yugi set the dog bed near his own bed, and Pikachu gave it a couple sniffs. It smelled of a different creature, but the scent was old and stale. He crawled into it and found it very comfortable, and was soon able to relax. Yugi smiled and climbed into his own bed after he had taken his own pendant off and turned the light off.

"Hey, Yugi." Pikachu whispered.

"Yeah?" Yugi answered sleepily.

"What's up with your pendant? I can sense some sort of mystical energy from it… or at least I think that's what that is. Pokémon are in tune with nature, at least more than humans are, and can sense strange things, but I can't identify what I'm sensing here…"

"Oh, that. It's called the Millennium Puzzle. It was discovered in a pharaoh's tomb in Egypt. Uh, Egypt is a country that's pretty far away from here, and a pharaoh was a king in ancient Egypt. My grandpa brought it back from of his expeditions, and since then, I spent the next eight years trying to solve it, and I finally did recently. It's a bit of a personal treasure to me. Although, I don't really know what it's supposed to do." Yugi chuckled out the last sentence, and Pikachu laughed a bit as well.

"Well, same with me. I don't know what my pendant is supposed to do, but I know it's important. I just figure I'll find out eventually."

"Yeah, me too. Well, good night." With that, he rolled over and slept.

"Good night." Pikachu practically mouthed. Before nodding off, however, he took a glance out the window.

_I wonder if Ash has noticed we're not back yet… Does he miss us? How long will we be here? How long will we have to stay away? Urgh… I guess there's no use in overthinking it…_

* * *

**A/N: JEEZ, that was long! You do NOT want to know how long it took me to write this! But, I'm glad this is finally done, because now begins the fun part! Don't worry, the real chapters won't be nearly as ridiculously long as this thing. I know, in hindsight, I probably should have split this thing into parts, but, live and learn, I guess. BraviaryGirl7 signing off for now!**


	2. S1 E1

**A/N: Hey, up to a hundred views already. Well, here is the first real chapter, and I hope it's good. Oh, this story will probably be completely in 3****rd**** person, and not the 3****rd**** person who only knows what one person feels and thinks, but the 3****rd**** person who knows what every character is thinking, and basically knows everything, so I basically want to make it as good as watching the actual show as I can. Okay, another thing, please no one be disappointed by this, but the Pokémon will not have that big of a role in the story for a while in the beginning. They'll just be there trying to figure out why they were called here. But! They will become very important soon afterwards. So, for now, the story will slightly follow the plot of the anime, with quite a few differences. Another thing, I'll do my best to describe duels, but it may not be all that good in the beginning, but I'll get better. So—**

**Yuma: Hey, are you gonna start, or are you just gonna talk all day?**

**Me: Hey, you don't even appear in this one! How'd you get in here? **

**Ash: Yeah, I was wondering the same thing.**

**Me: Wha-? Okay, so 'no unauthorized personnel allowed' basically means anyone can just stroll in whenever they please?**

**Storm: What's going on?**

**Me: Really? You too?**

**Storm: Me too what?**

**Me: Okay, I'm just going to go ahead and start the chapter because this is getting comically out of hand. I don't own Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh. Enjoy!**

**Astral: Hello.**

**Me: Oh, come on!**

* * *

**The Heart of the Cards**

_Long ago, when the pyramids were still young, Egyptian kings played a game of great and terrible power. But these Shadow Games erupted into a war that threatened to destroy the entire world, until a brave and powerful pharaoh locked the magic away, imprisoning it within the mystical Millennium Items. Now, 5,000 years later, a boy named Yugi unlocks the secret of the Millennium Puzzle. He is infused with ancient, magical energies, for destiny has chosen him to defend the world from the return of the shadow games, just as the brave pharaoh did 5,000 years ago. And what role do these mysterious creatures from this parallel world have to play? Only time will tell, my friend. Only time will tell._

* * *

**Domino High School**

"Urgh! I'm so BORED! How long are we supposed to just sit here?" Pichu whined from within the safety of the shrubs outside the high school, bored out of his mind.

"Pipe down, will ya?" Riolu stated as he pushed the restless Pichu back onto the ground after he tried to climb up to the window. "Do you want the whole city to know we're here?"

"Why not?" Pichu shrugged. "We wouldn't have to hide anymore."

"Were you even listening this morning?" Pikachu asked.

**Flashback, earlier that same day…**

"_You guys probably don't want to stay in a building the whole time, so I guess you could come with us to the school as long you stayed quiet." Yugi offered._

"_How come?" Pikachu asked._

"_Well, if people found out about you, they'd probably contact some scientists."_

"_In our world, scientists are people who make helpful gadgets for trainers, like the Pokédex and Poké Balls." Pichu said while looking for the refrigerator for a mid-morning snack._

"_I concur, although there are scientists who work for teams of bad people who want to use us Pokémon for their evil deeds." Riolu added, grabbing Pichu by the ear before he could raid anything. "What do bad scientists do to these so-called 'animals' in this world?" Yugi remained silent, thinking of whether or not to tell them._

"_Eh… you don't want to know."_

**End of flashback**

"So? What's the worst thing these scientist guys could do to us?" Pichu asked. "They try something, and we just need to… KAPOW! And we're on our way."

"Yeah? And then the whole world thinks we're savage." Riolu countered. "They'd come after us, and then how would we be able to do whatever we came here to do with a bunch of police officers or 'animal control' guys after us constantly? You've got to think about stuff like this, Pichu."

"Oh, so we need to be completely paranoid all the time?" Pichu asked sarcastically. "Lighten up a bit." Pichu then jumped onto the windowsill to see what was going on.

"Pichu!" Riolu hissed as he grabbed the bouncy Pokémon.

"Aw! I just want to look!"

"No! We can't risk someone seeing us!" Riolu took a small breath to calm down, then continued a little quieter. "Look, we can leave these bushes as soon as they come out of school."

"How long will that be?"

"Yugi said a few hours, tops."

"A few HOURS?!" Pichu began struggling wildly again, for fear of dying of boredom. "I can't wait that long! I got to find something fun to do, ANYTHING!" He accidentally let out some sparks, causing Riolu to let go of him.

"Pichu!" By now, Riolu was at the end of his patience.

"Don't worry, I'm just gonna look." Pichu jumped up back onto the windowsill, and looked around to see what was going on. "Hey, what're Yugi and Joey doin'? Oh, that looks cool!"

"Pichu! They're gonna see your ears!" In response, Pichu ducked down just enough so no one would notice him, unless they were looking. Growling in annoyance, Riolu carefully made his way over to the window. "What in the world could be so interesting—oh, hey, what _are _they doing?"

"Looks like some kind of card game." Eevee said as she went up to the window as well.

"Can you hear what they're saying, Pichu?" Pikachu asked.

"Well, let's see…"

* * *

"Hey, Joey. Earth to Joey! Hey, are you in there? It's your turn." Yugi called to Joey, who was deep in thought about which card to pick from the five in his hand.

"Umm… Hmm…" Joey hummed, unable to decide.

"Aww! Isn't he cute when he's thinking?" Tristan said teasingly as he playfully put his arm around Joey's neck.

"Hey, Tristan, Yugi here's teaching me how to play Duel Monsters." Joey said.

"Drooling Monsters?" Tristan asked stupidly.

"_Duel_ Monsters, you nimrod." Joey answered as he pushed Tristan away in annoyance.

"Sheesh!"

"They've been at it for hours." Téa told him. "Joey's starting to get the hang of the game, but Yugi's, like, an expert."

"Ok, Yugi. It's time to duel." Joey said as he finally put a card on the table.

"See, each card has an Attack number and a Defense number." Téa explained. "First player to eliminate their opponent's Life Points wins the duel."

"Pretty good move, huh, Yugi?" Joey said confidently.

"Yup, pretty good move, but not good enough." Yugi said as he placed a monster much stronger than the one Joey had picked, having enough attack points to take out the rest of Joey's Life Points.

"What?! Thanks a lot! A card that powerful totally wipes me out."

"Whoa, you stink at this game, Joey." Tristan said.

"No, you did fine, Joey. I just have better cards." Yugi reassured. "See, my grandpa owns a game shop, and I get all my best cards from him."

"Your own game shop?! What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Joey said enthusiastically.

"Ok. Maybe I can even get my grandpa to show us this super-rare card he's got." Yugi said. Yes, it all seemed very innocent at the time, however, unbeknownst to them, the only student sitting down and still studying was listening to every word they were saying.

_Rare card? Could they have found the card that I've been searching for?_

* * *

"Wow! That looks fun!" Pichu said after watching the scene.

"It does look pretty interesting." Eevee admitted.

"I would say 'interesting' is an understatement." Pikachu said. "Somehow, something tells me that this game is going to end up being important."

"Yeah, that may be, but I'm a little more concerned about that student." Riolu murmured.

"Which one?" Pichu asked.

"Him." Riolu pointed to the student reading a text book. "I sense a dark aura coming from him…"

"Aw, you're just bein' paranoid again!" Pichu said cheerfully. However, when they directed their attention back to the classroom, Joey happened to glance over at the window and saw the four of them looking through. As Yugi turned to see what Joey was looking at, they both let out a startled grunt.

"Okay, everybody get down!" Pikachu commanded, causing the rest of them to almost instantly duck, although Riolu had to grab Pichu again.

"Okay, okay, no more leaving the bush." Pichu finally complied.

* * *

**Game Shop**

"I _told _you not to leave the bush… We're just lucky Yugi and Joey were the only ones who saw us." Riolu scolded Pichu as they tagged along behind Yugi and his friends on the way to the Game Shop.

"Okay, I get it, now would ya get off my case?" Pichu pouted. Riolu sighed at Pichu's carelessness.

"We just need to be a little more careful until we know for sure that we're not in danger, okay?" Eevee said kindly.

"Okay…" Pichu nodded.

"Well, we're back." Pikachu announced. "Let's go inside."

"Grandpa? I'm home!" Yugi called as he opened the door.

"And I see you've brought company." Grandpa chuckled.

"Gramps, could you show my friends your awesome, super-rare card?" Yugi asked.

"Rare card? My special card? Hmm…" He thought for a second.

"Please! Please!" Yugi begged.

"Pretty please?" Joey added.

"Hmm… Ha-ha! How can I refuse?" He took out a small box from under the counter. "You kids are in for a treat. I don't take this card out too often. Ready? Here it is." The card design was of a great, white dragon with sharp fangs and claws and bright, blue eyes. "The Blue Eyes White Dragon, so rare, so powerful, I never let it leave my hands." Joey and Téa stared in awe at the rare card, as well as the Pokémon who had climbed up on the counter to get a better look. Some of them muttered 'whoa…' and 'awesome…' and Pichu, who looked at the card with big, starry eyes, had absentmindedly murmured 'cool…'. However, the only one who didn't seem all that impressed was Tristan.

"Hmm. Doesn't look all that special to me." Tristan said confusedly as he took the card out of Grandpa's hands to get a better look at it. Panicking slightly, Grandpa hastily snatched the card back from Tristan, surprising him.

"Aah! This card is priceless! There are only four of them in all the world!" Grandpa informed Tristan.

"Speaking of priceless, I'm ready to trade." Joey spoke up.

"Not for this card!" Grandpa said, pulling the card even further away.

"Huh? No, I didn't mean that card." Joey reassured. "I meant show me some other cool cards to get me started." However, at that moment, the door opened.

"Hello, can I help you?" Grandpa greeted to the visitor.

"If you can't, it certainly wouldn't surprise me." Yugi and his friends turned around in curiosity to see who the voice belonged to while Pikachu and his friends ducked behind the counter as they heard the door opening.

"Seto Kaiba?" Yugi said in slight disbelief.

"Kaiba?!" Joey repeated.

"Doesn't he have a big company to run? What's he doing down here?" Tristan asked out loud as the Pokémon slowly and carefully peeked from behind the counter.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I came to see the card." Kaiba answered.

"It's the same student… I don't like this…" Riolu murmured.

"Hey, are you into Duel Monsters too?" Joey inquired. "This is perfect. Maybe we could all duel together sometime."

"Me duel you? I would have more of a challenge playing Solitaire." Kaiba said rudely.

"That was mean…" Eevee whispered.

"What?" Joey asked, his patience running thin.

"I am the number one ranked duelist in the country, and the favorite to win the Duel Monsters Championship." Kaiba scoffed. "You wouldn't last two minutes in a duel against me."

"Ooh, I'm shakin'." Joey said mockingly, fist clenched, no longer in a good mood. "Maybe you'd like to settle this with fists instead of cards?"

"Whoa, take it easy, Joey." Yugi said as he stepped between them, trying to stop his friend before he carried out his word.

"But, Yugi…" Joey said, trying to convince his friend at the same time he was trying to control his temper. "Kaiba's asking for it."

"Now, does this shop have any worthwhile cards or not?" Kaiba asked, ignoring Joey. His gaze drifted over to the counter, where Grandpa had set his card back in its box. As soon as he laid eyes on it, he was fixated on it, and even pushed Yugi and Joey out of his way to get to the counter. "Can it be?! The Blue Eyes White Dragon in a dump like this?!" he shouted in disbelief. _It is. The card I've been searching for. _His teeth began to grit in envy and desire.

"Liking this even less, now…" Riolu muttered, a hint of urgency in his voice.

"Me too…" Pikachu replied, still keeping his voice lowered to a whisper.

"Well, enough window shopping." Grandpa said as he closed the box and pulled it away, snapping Kaiba out of his thoughts. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" Growling in annoyance and impatience, Kaiba slammed his briefcase on the counter, surprising Grandpa. He opened it and turned it around so Grandpa could see its contents, revealing it to be a case full of Duel Monsters cards.

"Listen to me, old man. Give me your Blue Eyes White Dragon card, and I'll trade you all of these." Kaiba offered, traces of sternness in his voice. Yugi's friends gaped in awe at the case full of cards, amazed how much Kaiba was willing to trade to get the card.

"Ah, nice, but no thanks." Grandpa responded, surprising Yugi's friends even more. Growling in frustration, Kaiba rethought his offer.

"Fine. If you won't trade, maybe you'll sell it. Name your price. I can pay anything you ask." Kaiba pressed, becoming desperate for the card.

"I'm sure you could, but this card is worth more to me than you could ever offer. Not because of its power, or because it's so rare, but because of what it means to me. This card was given to me by a dear friend, and so I treasure this card as I do that friend. So parting with it is completely out of the question." Grandpa explained. The last sentence struck Kaiba like a blow. _No! _*1

"You'd feel the same even if it were a common card, right, Grandpa?" Yugi asked, already knowing the answer.

"Exactly." Grandpa answered, not noticing Kaiba trembling with rage. "You see, this precious card has bonded with my heart."

"Fine!" Kaiba exclaimed as he slammed his briefcase closed in anger. "I've heard enough of your nonsense. Senile old fool." He spat as he walked out of the store and back to him limo. As the limo drove away from the game shop, Kaiba plotted, still seething with anger. _'Heart in the cards.' Ridiculous! These cards are all about power, and one way or another, his Blue Eyes White Dragon card will be mine._

**KaibaCorp office building, later that same evening…**

"Gentlemen, there's something I'd like you to pick up for me at the game shop." Kaiba explained to a few of his employees back at his office.

"Gladly, Master Kaiba." Kaiba's butler answered.

**Game Shop, the next morning…**

Two thugs approached the game shop, and barged right in while Grandpa was cleaning the counter.

"Good morning," Grandpa greeted as he turned around to see the visitor. "Hmm?" He soon noticed that the people visiting didn't seem to be very friendly, which was clear from their appearance.

"My master, Seto Kaiba, challenges you to a duel. You will come with us now." Kaiba's butler told him, the two thugs behind him, ready to apply force at his signal.

"And if I were to decline?" Grandpa asked carefully.

"I'm afraid I must… insist." Kaiba's butler said sinisterly. *2

_Young Kaiba doesn't understand, but I'll teach him a lesson about the Heart of the Cards. _

**Later that evening…**

"See, I told you that a walk in the woods would be fun." Riolu said to Pichu as they walked behind the human group back to the game shop, although they had been walking back from the forest they had spent the day in.

"Yeah, definitely a lot more interesting than sitting in a shrub all day." Pichu replied.

"I hope he has some cool cards today." Joey said.

"Me too!" Yugi cheerfully replied.

"Ok, Gramps! I'm back to get more cards!" Joey called out as he opened the door to the game shop, but found that he wasn't at the counter. "Hey! Hey, Gramps!" he called again, even louder, hoping he was somewhere in the house.

"Grandpa, I'm home!" Yugi called out, hoping to get a result.

"Maybe he went out?" Téa guessed.

"Maybe, but why would he leave the door unlocked?" Joey wondered.

"Maybe I ought to check the kitchen…" Pichu mumbled as he tried to sneak off.

"No, you don't." Riolu stated simply as he grabbed Pichu by the scruff. At that moment, as if by answer, the telephone rang. Yugi walked over and answered it, still thinking about where his grandpa was.

"Hello. Game Shop."

"_Ah, Yugi. Perfect." _The caller answered, distinctively in Kaiba's voice.

"Kaiba?!" Yugi nearly shouted, greatly surprised.

"_Your grandfather's here visiting, but he's not feeling well. Why don't you come by my office and pick him up?" _Kaiba informed, his voice creepily different from before.

"Kaiba?! What have you done, Kaiba?!" Yugi demanded in shock and anxiety, only to be answered by the dial tone. Having heard every word, Pikachu was suddenly aware of exactly what Riolu had been afraid of.

"We're coming with you." Pikachu proclaimed. _Although, I'm not quite sure what we can do…_

**KaibaCorp office building, night…**

Yugi and his friends rushed to the KaibaCorp office building, but what they found was far from what they expected. They had ridden the elevator to the top floor, but only to find Yugi's grandpa on the ground!

"Ahh! Grandpa!" Yugi shouted as he ran over to him. "Grandpa. Are you okay?" Grandpa weakly lifted his head up to face his grandson, but struggled with even this.

"Yugi, I failed," he said weakly. "I wanted to teach that boy, Kaiba, a lesson about the Heart of the Cards, but I lost." Struggling to keep himself off the floor, he nearly fell flat again, increasing Yugi's worry.

"Grandpa!"

"How's the old man feeling, hmm?" Kaiba asked, not a hint of regret in his voice.

"Kaiba, you sleaze, what have you done to him?!" Joey demanded, speaking for his friend.

"We had a duel, that's all." Kaiba answered, speaking as if nothing had happened. "With each of us putting up our most valuable card as the prize, but I guess playing against a champion such as myself was just too much stimulation for the old fool." *3

"Kaiba, you should be ashamed of yourself!" Téa declared, unable to believe anyone would be capable of doing something so horrible without feeling guilt.

"It was fair," Kaiba defended, still not bothered in the least. "And look at the sweet prize I won." He pulled the Blue Eyes White Dragon out of his coat pocket, and in front of everyone, ripped it in half.

"Grandpa's most treasured card!" Yugi shouted, now more angry than sad.

"Yes, the Blue Eyes White Dragon _is _a rare and powerful card, and this one will never be used against me." Kaiba said as he tossed the halved card aside like it was nothing. *4

"My Blue Eyes White Dragon, m-my treasure." Grandpa said as he reached his hand out, trying to grasp at the ripped card, but then winced in pain.

"Grandpa, hold on." Yugi begged, close to tears. "How could you do such a thing?!"

"Yugi, here. Take this." Grandpa said as he held out his duel deck.

"Huh? Grandpa?" Yugi pressed, his voice breaking and tears forming in his eyes.

"I built this deck. I put my soul in these cards. And I taught you everything I know, Yugi. Take them. Take my cards and teach him respect. Teach Kaiba respect for the Heart of the Cards, Yugi." Grandpa requested.

"But, Grandpa, you need help. I've got to get you to a doctor." Yugi countered.

"Sounds like an excuse." Kaiba said. "Your friends can take care of your grandfather, while you and I duel, unless you're afraid." The Pokémon, who had been hiding in the elevator, couldn't stand letting the scene play out anymore. Pikachu especially, since he was shocked that there were such terrible humans in that world. Before another word could be said, Pikachu ran out of the elevator at full speed, acting fully on instinct as he ran toward Kaiba, ready to shock him at full force. He jumped, preparing to release his Thunderbolt, but suddenly felt a sharp jolt of pain course through his neck, and was no later on the ground, hardly able to move. The rest of Pokémon ran toward him, worried what had happened.

"Didn't know you had a pet. What is that, a rat?" Kaiba asked. "Before you try that again, I think it should be fair to warn you that there are guards hidden everywhere that will shoot you if you try to handle this physically. Don't worry, though, it won't kill you, it's nothing more than a tranquilizer dart. But, it will render you virtually immobilized for at least an hour." Riolu stared at the dart stuck in Pikachu's neck, trying to analyze it. A second later, he pulled it out without Pikachu noticing at all, and threw it on the ground, smashing it to bits.

"Well, now that you know we're here, we shouldn't need to hide." Riolu fearlessly declared. Kaiba seemed slightly surprised when Riolu began talking, but kept his composure. "Yes, we can talk. We've gotten used to that. But there's something else you should know. We are not pets. We are Pokémon! And anyone who tries to hurt a Pokémon's friend has another thing coming! …But I don't see any reason to settle this physically." Riolu's angry face turned into an eye-closed smirk. "It would be too easy, and what fun would that be?" A second dart was fired, but Riolu stopped it short with a Psychic just before it hit him, holding his paw up to it just a quarter of an inch apart, mostly just to show off. He and Eevee helped Pikachu get up and prepared to leave the building so he could heal. Before they began to leave, Riolu shifted his gaze over to Yugi. "We'll leave this to you. Good luck." They slowly headed for the elevator, but Pikachu had somewhat of a worried expression on his face, silently questioning whether his friend was making the right decision. "Don't worry." Riolu whispered to him. "There's something different about Yugi than before. It's not a very big change, but it feels like we can trust him to take care of this." Yugi, however, was still unsure what he should do.

"Take him, Yugi!" Joey encouraged. "We can take care of your Grandpa, while you take care of Creepy Kaiba. Teach that rich, spoiled brat what a real duel's all about."

"For your Grandpa, Yugi." Téa added.

"I don't know…" Yugi replied.

"Trust me. You're, like, the best player I've ever seen, and you've got the Millennium Puzzle." Joey continued. "You can do this, Yugi. I know you can."

"We all do." Téa said. With a look of new determination, Yugi nodded, turned back to his Grandpa and accepted the deck.

"Ok, Grandpa, I'll do it." Yugi declared.

"I know you will, my boy." Grandpa responded.

"Everyone, put your hands together, and I'll mark us with a special sign." Téa said as she pulled out a marker and drew a smiley face on their hands.

"What gives, Téa?" Joey asked as they surveyed the marks.

"It's a symbol of our friendship, so when Yugi's dueling, no matter how tough it gets, he'll know that he's not alone. We're all right there with him." Téa explained. Yugi nodded, knowing her words were nothing less than sincere. They called an ambulance, and got Grandpa onto the truck when it arrived.

"Joey, Tristan and I will take Yugi's grandpa to the hospital. Why don't you get back in there and cheer Yugi on?" Téa suggested.

"Okay, take good care of him, Téa." Joey answered. The Pokémon had already left the building, but by the time they had, Pikachu had regained movement 45 minutes earlier than Kaiba had said he would.

"Ha-ha! 15 minutes flat! In your face, Kaiba!" Pichu shouted, although Kaiba was, at the most, twenty stories up from them, as he joyously hopped around. Pikachu was standing without Riolu's help, but was a little wobbly.

"You okay?" Eevee asked concernedly as Pikachu tenderly rubbed the spot on his neck where the dart had hit him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. And I want to go back in." Pikachu replied.

"Ha—say what?" Pichu asked as he stopped in mid-hop, causing him to come down landing on his face. "Ow!"

"You were right, Riolu." Pikachu began explaining. "Something _is _different about Yugi than before. And something tells me that this difference is… is… well, I don't really know what it is, but it seems to be important, and perhaps even…" he trailed off.

"Even?" Riolu pressed, suddenly intrigued. Pikachu shook his head dismissively.

"It's nothing… just a theory… Let's go watch." Pikachu began to walk back towards the entrance of the building.

"You're sure you're up for it?" Riolu asked.

"Yeah. Like you said, no one messes with a Pokémon's friend, but what kind of Pokémon would we be if we didn't even come to watch? I know we can't exactly do anything… but I would feel a lot better to know that we were at least trying." Pikachu explained, speaking as if they had known the humans their whole lives. Riolu nodded in understanding, remembering how easily Pikachu was able to connect to new friends.

"Hmm… maybe, I can try out this new Psychic technique I've been working on. I've been trying to use the move Teleport, and last time, I almost did it safely." Riolu said excitedly as he readied Teleport.

"Wait, 'almost did it safely'?" Eevee asked, suddenly concerned.

"Here we go!" Riolu shouted as his body glowed, not hearing Eevee.

"Wait! Don't—!" but Eevee's expressed panic came a little too late, as Riolu had already Teleported. Thankfully, he had safely Teleported the four of them to the top floor in the building, behind a row of seats in an arena of sorts. Luckily, perhaps miraculously, all were unharmed, if not a little dizzy.

"See? Nothing to worry about." Riolu managed to say woozily before he passed out on the floor.

"But you shouldn't attempt to do something if you haven't done it successfully at least two times before." Eevee countered, trying to stay on her feet.

"And he's the one telling _me _to be careful?" Pichu asked rhetorically, dizzier than the rest, having landed upside-down atop the sprawled-out Riolu's head. Pikachu climbed up to the top of a stone seat, trying to get a view of the situation.

"I designed this virtual stadium myself." Kaiba told Yugi while standing on one of the sides of the arena. "Impressive, hmm? I think you'll agree it adds a bit more life to the game." The boxes they were standing in began to move closer to the arena. "We each begin with 2,000 Life Points. First player to hit zero loses. Are you ready to play, runt?"

"Playtime is over, Kaiba!" Yugi suddenly shouted. His Millennium Puzzle began to glow a bright gold, and before anyone knew what was happening, several things were different about the Yugi that stood on the right side of the arena. For one, he appeared to be taller than before, and stood with proud confidence, and had a more steely-eyed look.

"Huh? What the…" Kaiba began to ask no one in particular, but trailed off. Pikachu, who was sitting on the top of the seat he had climbed on, gaped in awe and wonder as he realized something vital. _That's it… that's what was different… He's like a completely different person now… And I assume that my guess was right… This difference _is_ important… It might even be the reason we came here… Whatever 'it' is… …What's that? Voice? Why are you… What? 'Shadows'? What do you…? …Y…Ya…Yami? W-what does that mean? Huh? Yami means… shadow?_*5_ And… What? What do you mean, 'Yami Yugi'? Th… that's who's about to duel? The… the power of the Millennium Puzzle… caused this? Urgh… please stop… it's too much to take in… please… just let me figure it out… okay? …Okay, no more voice. Now, I guess I'm right to assume that the power of the Millennium Puzzle caused this change, and the change is… someone different altogether? And the different someone is… Yami Yugi? Aww… too much to think about… too little to go on… Just… hold it together, Pikachu, and watch the duel. Think everything through when it's all over._

"Now, Kaiba, prepare yourself," Yugi said, although his voice was noticeably deeper. "Because it's time to duel!"

"Virtual systems ready, so let's begin." Kaiba declared after they had both drawn five cards. He took one card and placed it on the electronic table. "I attack with the mighty Hitotsu-Me Giant." (Atk. 1,200. Def. 1,000.) "Brace yourself, Yugi. You've never dueled like this before." The stadium began to glow as a virtual creature formed on the field, creating a life-size version of the blue-green one-eyed monster.

"Whoa." Pichu gaped in awe at the sight of the monster.

"He's brought the monster on the card to life." Yami Yugi said.

"It's my virtual simulator," Kaiba explained. "It creates lifelike holograms of every duel monster."

"So this is how you beat my grandfather," Yami Yugi mused. "Well, now it's my turn. I call on the Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress!" He placed the card on the table. (Atk. 1,400. Def. 1,200.) The small, blue-scaled dragon took form, the hologram itself seemingly eager to fight. At that moment, however, Joey made his way up to the top floor, and was more than a bit surprised by the sight there.

"Wha—Monsters?! Real monsters?!" he shouted in surprise. The monsters began to fight. Hitotsu-Me Giant lunged at the dragon.

"Fire Ball, attack!" Yami commanded. The dragon launched its attack. The dragon's Attack Points being 200 points higher than the giant's, the dragon easily destroyed the giant, lowering Kaiba's Life Points to 1800.

"Big brother!" Mokuba, Kaiba's younger brother, shouted in concern as he ran out to the arena. "Are you alright?"

"Alright! Go, Yugi!" Joey cheered.

"Nice move." Pikachu mouthed.

"Ya—!" Pichu started to cheer, but was cut off by Riolu's paw in his face.

"Shh, don't get us kicked out of here." Riolu warned, although he was wearing a small smirk. Yugi's turn over, Kaiba drew a new card.

"Well played, Yugi, for a beginner," Kaiba remarked. "But how will you deal with this?" The new monster Kaiba laid down was a clown in a scarily colored outfit, and even scarier makeup and hat.

"Saggi the Dark Clown?" Yami identified the monster. (Atk. 600. Def. 1500.) "But that card has hardly any attack strength."

"True, your Winged Dragon's attack strength is 1400, while my Dark Clown's is only 600, but when I combine it with this card…" Kaiba said slyly as he placed a new card down.

"A Magic Card!" Yami gasped.

"Exactly," Kaiba acknowledged. "The Negative Energy Generator. It multiplies my monster's attack by 3." (600—1800)

"Uh-oh…" Pikachu murmured.

"Bad feeling, bad feeling…" Riolu fidgeted.

"Yeah, no kidding—Ymmf!" Pichu started to panic, but was yanked off of the seat by Riolu's paw in his face.

"How many times do I have to tell you to be quiet?" Riolu sighed.

"Sorry." Pichu called up, though his sound was muffled by Riolu's paw.

"Guys, focus," Eevee reasoned, trying to stop them before a fight broke out and they were discovered, as well as trying to direct their attention back to the duel. "The Winged Dragon's attack is 400 points lower than the Clown's, so that means bad news for Yugi."

"Dark Clown, attack with Dark Glide."*6 Kaiba commanded. The clown formed a sphere of crackling dark electricity, and when the attack was fired at the dragon, it was easily destroyed and lowered Yugi's Life Points to 1600. "As you can see, combining cards can be very effective."

_He's good, _Yugi thought. _He knows every aspect of this game. But my grandpa put all his gaming knowledge, his whole heart into assembling this deck. I have to believe that it holds some sort of secret strategy. _He drew a new card, but he scowled as he realized that it wasn't what he needed. _This card is useless. I can't beat the Dark Clown with this. I'll have to use a different monster, in Defense Mode. The monster will be sacrificed, but my overall Life Points will be safe. _He placed a Monster Card on the table, but placed it sideways to show he was using the monster's Defense Mode.

"Dark Glide attack!" Kaiba ordered. The Dark Clown launched its attack, and quickly destroyed Yugi's facedown monster.

"Hang in there, Yugi!" Joey shouted as he pounded his fists on the wall in front of him. Turn after turn, however, Kaiba kept destroying Yugi's facedown monsters, wiping them out with one attack from with super-charged Dark Clown.

"This is not good…" Riolu groaned.

"At this rate, he'll run out of monsters…" Eevee added.

"We gotta do something!" Pichu panicked as he jumped back on the seat, flailing his arms about. However, his ranting was interrupted yet again, but this time by Pikachu who covered Pichu's face with the tip of his tail.

"Do _what_? We gotta do _what_?" Pikachu hissed, the stress of the quickly processed information coupled with the guilt of not being able to do anything but watch and the many thoughts clouding his rational thinking finally getting to him. "We can't do anything but sit and watch, and frankly, I'm still trying to figure out what's going on, and what I really need instead of having to deal with the guilt of not being able to do anything is not so many interruptions! Now, pipe down so we don't get thrown out!"

"Okay." Pichu whimpered as he ducked down enough so no one could see him and folded up his all-to-noticeable ears, not wanting to argue with his angry brother.

"You're not faring any better than the old man did, Yugi," Kaiba said. "Your deck is as weak and feeble as your grandfather."

"My grandpa is a great man and a better duelist than you'll ever be," Yugi defended. "He entrusted me with his cards, and I can feel his heart in this deck. I doubt you have that kind of faith in _your _cards, Kaiba. But I believe in my cards, Kaiba!" At that moment, even if it was only for a brief second, Riolu noticed that Yugi's words seemed to cause some kind of reaction in Kaiba, although he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He didn't have to think about it long before he dropped the matter, directing his attention back to Yugi as he drew a new card. "And my faith rewards me with Gaia the Fierce Knight! With a destructive power of 2300!" The armored knight on the armored horse charged at the clown, and finally took it out, lowering Kaiba's Life Points by 500 points. (Kaiba's LP: 1300. Yugi's Life Points: 1600.)

"Way to go, Yugi!" Joey cheered.

"Yay! Yay!" Pichu joined in on the cheering, jumping up and down on the seat, but no one shushed him because they all took a collective sigh of relief, but no one seemed to hear him or they just weren't paying him any mind.

"Alright, Kaiba, your move." Yami said confidently.

"Hah!" Kaiba scoffed. "This'll be over sooner than you think." As he drew a new card, a new kind of confidence filled his eyes. "I call on the Blue Eyes White Dragon!" (Atk. 3000. Def. 2500.) Everyone gasped in shock as the hologram took form as a familiar enormous white fanged and clawed dragon with sapphire eyes.

"Huh? No way!" Yami exclaimed.

"What-what-what?!" Pichu shouted.

"Impossible! We all watched Kaiba tear that card in half!" Joey recalled.

"Surprised?" Kaiba asked sarcastically. "Did you think your grandfather was the only one to possess a Blue Eyes White Dragon?" The dragon charged up its lightning attack and fired it at the Fierce Knight, taking it out and lowering Yugi's Life Points to 900.

"Huh," Kaiba scoffed. "Your Fierce Knight is destroyed. Faith or no faith, you _will_ fall before my superior monsters, Yugi. Power is what this game is all about, you fool. Faith is for losers, like your pathetic grandfather." Even while Kaiba's dragon kept destroying monster after monster, he still kept talking, as if he had been expecting this to happen all along. "In your entire deck, there's not a single card that can stand up to a Blue Eyes White Dragon so what hope do you have against two?" To everyone's dismay, he summoned a second Blue Eyes White Dragon.

"He's dead…" Pichu whined excessively.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Pichu." Riolu hissed.

"Why don't you just admit defeat, Yugi?" Kaiba suggested.

"Hmm…" Yami half hummed, half growled in annoyance and worry.

**Meanwhile, at the hospital…**

Téa and Tristan, along with a nurse, were hurriedly pulling along a gurney with Grandpa laid steadily on it and an oxygen mask attached to his face. Although he was basically unconscious, he still somehow managed to utter four words of encouragement to his grandson, even though he was miles away. "Don't give up… Yugi…" *7

**Back at the arena…**

By some mysterious method, Yugi somehow heard his Grandfather's words, and he regained more of his confidence back. "I _won't _give up. Grandpa's counting on me." Yami said to himself before he drew a card and gasped. "A Magic Card. Swords of Revealing Light! It stops all monsters on the field for 3 turns."

"How desperate," Kaiba remarked, not worried in the slightest. "What possible good will a 3 turn delay do you?"

_He's right… _Yami thought. _What do I do? I can't figure out what to do with these cards. _He had two legs of something and the right arm of something, along with a reptilian monster, but that was it, and the legs and arm didn't seem to serve any purpose. _They're just a bunch of… pieces. How can I use them to battle an expert like Kaiba?_ He closed his eyes and grit his teeth as he desperately begged for an answer.

_For someone claiming to have faith, you are giving up too easily, Yugi. _Spoke a familiar voice from the back of his mind; his Grandfather's voice. _Listen, sometimes the cards are like a puzzle. You have to put all the different pieces in their proper place._

_Ah, like the Millennium Puzzle? _Yugi asked.

_Exactly. _Grandpa answered. _Each piece helps build a greater entity. _With that, his image began to fade.

_Grandpa! _Yugi called out.

_Like the pieces of a puzzle, Yugi, remember? _His Grandfather's voice echoed in his mind.

_Puzzle?! _Yugi realized. _When are the cards like a puzzle? Wait, Grandpa once said…_

**Flashback…**

"_Duel Monsters contains only one unstoppable monster—Exodia," Grandpa explained to his attentive grandson. "But he can only be summoned by drawing all 5 special cards—a feat that, to this very day, no one has ever accomplished."_

**End of Flashback…**

"Quite your stalling, Yugi, or you will forfeit the match." Kaiba called, losing his patience.

"I never forfeit." Yami countered as he drew his next card. The card he drew was Exodia's left arm, giving him four of the necessary cards. _Another piece of the puzzle. _He placed his only monster besides the Exodia pieces facedown in Defense Mode and ended his turn.

"Draw any card you like. It won't change a thing." Kaiba remarked as he began his turn. "My dragons may be frozen for another 2 turns, but my new monster is under no such spell—the Judge Man with an attack power of 2200." (Atk. 2200. Def. 1500.) The Judge Man attacked Yugi's facedown monster, easily defeating it. Grimacing in worry, Yami drew a new card, and although it wasn't the final piece of Exodia, it was still a monster that could defeat the Judge Man; the Dark Magician. (Atk. 2500. Def. 2100.) _I can attack with the Dark Magician, but he won't stand a chance once Kaiba's dragons are free of my spell._ He summoned the magician.

"Dark Magician, attack!" Yami commanded. The magician used his magic to destroy the Judge Man, lowering Kaiba's Life Points by 300. (Kaiba's LP: 1000. Yugi's LP: 900.) "Your Judge Man falls."

"Oh, a sacrifice that doesn't even faze me." Kaiba said, not even caring in the slightest about his monster's fate. He drew a new card. "And though neither dragon can move for one more turn, my next card is the third Blue Eyes White Dragon!" A wave of shock coursed down Yami's spine, as he never could have anticipated this. The final dragon was summoned. "Now, my dragon, attack!" The dragon's attack destroyed the Dark Magician, lowering Yugi's Life Points by 500. (Kaiba's LP: 1000. Yugi's LP: 400.) "So, tell me, Yugi, how's your 'faith' now? On my next turn, all 3 Blue Eyes White Dragons are free to attack. This game's over, no matter what card you draw."

* * *

"You can't possibly stand against my 3 Blue Eyes White Dragons." Kaiba continued to boast. "It's over, Yugi. You were never a match for me."

"AAahhhhh! What's-he-gonna-do-what's-he-gonna-do-what's-he-gonna-do?!" Pichu screamed frantically.

"P-Pichu! You're not exactly helping!" Riolu unsuccessfully tried to console Pichu, but was, in truth, panicking a bit on the inside as well.

"Don't listen, Yugi!" Joey tried to counter Kaiba's remark.

_Kaiba had 3 Blue Eyes all along. He only wanted Grandpa's card so it couldn't be used against him. My only chance now is to assemble all the pieces of Exodia, but the odds are against me. _He hesitantly reached his hand towards the deck. _I don't think I can do this. _Suddenly, the deck seemed to drift far away where he couldn't reach it. _The deck—it senses my doubt. _Both Yami and Yugi's focus began to waver, and they almost split apart. _Don't lose focus, Yugi. Don't lose faith! Concentrate! _His hand still outstretched, he noticed the ink marking still on his hand. _Our friendship symbol. _He imagined his friends right by his side, reaching out towards the deck, ready to draw with him.

_Yugi, we're right here with you. _Téa said.

_Yugi, you've got to believe in yourself. _Tristan said.

_You can do it. Just kick Kaiba's butt. _Joey added.

Meanwhile, back with the Pokémon, Pichu had stopped panicking, and all three had directed their attention to Pikachu, who was focused firmly on the duel. He didn't hear a word his friends said. He said nothing. He did nothing. He questioned nothing. _Yes. We believe in you, too. I know you have something up your sleeve. We may not have known you all for very long, but I can tell that you are all trustworthy and dependable. I—we—all believe in you, too. Now, go for it!_

"They're right." Yami said. "I've got to believe in the cards like my friends believe in me."

"Draw your last pathetic card, so I can end this, Yugi." Kaiba said.

"My Grandpa's deck _has _no pathetic cards, Kaiba." Yami said as he finally drew the card. "But it does contain…" He held up the card he drew. "The unstoppable Exodia!"

"Aah! Impossible!" Kaiba panicked.

"I've assembled all 5 special cards. All 5 pieces of the puzzle." Yugi continued as he placed the cards on the electronic table and the monster began to take form.

"Exodia—it's not possible!" Kaiba practically screamed. "No one's ever been able to call him."

"Exodia, Obliterate!" Yami commanded. Exodia's attack destroyed all 3 Blue Eyes White Dragons, sent Kaiba screaming, and brought his Life Points down to 0.

"You did it! Yugi, you won!" Joey cheered.

"This can't be!" Mokuba shouted in disbelief. "My brother never loses!"

"You play only for power, Kaiba, and that is why you lost, but if you put your heart in the game, there is nothing you can't do." Yami said.

"But—but how?! How could I have lost to him?!" Kaiba demanded no one in particular.

"Kaiba, if you truly want to know, open your mind!" Yami said as he used magic on Kaiba, banishing his darkness to the Realm of Shadows. "There, Kaiba. Maybe now you will begin to see."

**Meanwhile, at the hospital…**

Grandpa, after being unconscious for several hours, awoke and opened his eyes.

"Grandpa's awake!" Téa noticed and informed Tristan.

"Yugi won." Grandpa said softly, and yet, happily.

**Elsewhere…**

"Mr. Pegasus, sir, Seto Kaiba—our uncontested champion—he's been defeated in a duel, sir, by someone named Yugi." An unnamed lackey said to his boss.

**Back at the arena…**

"Alright!" Riolu happily laughed.

"Yes!" Eevee exclaimed.

"I never doubted him for a second!" Pichu sheepishly tried to lie, although everyone was laughing and cheering too much to pay him any mind, and he soon joined in the cheering. Pikachu smiled widely at their new friend, knowing he had done nothing less than made the right choice in putting his trust in Yugi—as well as this mysterious Yami Yugi, whom he was sure they'd learn more about and would hear more from as time went on. Upon returning to the ground, Yugi had returned to normal, no longer Yami Yugi. The Pokémon ran up to greet him, complimenting him on such a great job, but Pikachu was only half with it, because he was still thinking about everything that had happened. Even upon returning to the house, Pikachu still couldn't quiet his mind. Looking up at the stars through the window, Pikachu tried to think of something else so he could get some sleep, but the only thing that came to his mind was… Ash.

_Have you noticed that we're gone…? Oh, of course you've noticed! You must have noticed… right? …Of course he has. He cares about us. He's a part of our family. He loves us. He wouldn't just forget about us. But… what if he's looking for us right now? He… he won't be able to find his way here, will he? …How… how long… until we can go home… until we can go… back to him…?_

* * *

**A/N: Well, at least it wasn't as long as the prologue, but still quite a bit longer than I thought it would be. Now, I know the concept of Yami Yugi isn't explained until WAY farther up in the series, but how else am I supposed to put it? Use his name? That would spoil even more! …Anyway… How did I do describing duels? If I'm not all that good, like I said, I'll get better. Oh, one more thing. I want ABSOLUTELY NO SPOILERS IN THE REVIEWS FROM THOSE WHO HAVE SEEN THE SHOW, PLEASE! If I find one, I will personally PM the sender!**

**Yuma: *mockingly* Ooh, scary.**

**Me: Shut up, Yuma.**

**Joey: Uh, hey guys? *comes in hopping on one foot* Has anyone seen my other shoe?**

**Mist: *off in distance* Om-nom-nom. **

**Me: Oh, for crying out l—Pichu, what are you doing?!**

**Pichu: Uh… shorting out the microwave…? **

**Me: *growls***

**Pichu: *panicking* A-accidentally!**

**Me: Ugh, I think I'm just gonna end it here… AFTER I explain this one other thing. I'm sure you've noticed those little *s, right? Well, from now on, in the end author's notes, I'm going to spread and share my almost practically useless fangirl knowledge about the manga and Japanese anime! Here we go!**

***1: In the original manga, when this scene played out, Kaiba didn't have a single Blue Eyes, and had never even seen one before. The next day, he had attempted to steal the Blue Eyes, but Yami Yugi stopped him by defeating him in a Shadow Game and giving him an illusory 'experience of death'. **

***2: In the manga, it is revealed that the thugs threatened to kill Yugi if Grandpa didn't come with them.**

***3: In the manga, Kaiba gave the loser of the duel the 'experience of death', namely making virtual monsters appear and giving Grandpa a heart attack.**

***4: In the original manga, when this scene played out, it had been several days after the first scene where Kaiba had tried to get the Blue Eyes, and he had relentlessly searched for the remaining three in an attempt to get revenge on Yugi.**

***5: It is true that in Japanese, the word Yami means shadow, and this 'other Yugi' is like an opposite shadow of the real Yugi. Fitting, no?**

***6: A lot of people think that this attack was pronounced 'Dark Light', but I realized that was a contradiction, so when I looked it up in the manga, I found out that it was actually spelled 'Dark Glide', which makes just a ton of more sense when you think about it.**

***7: In the manga, as I mentioned earlier, Grandpa was suffering from heart failure, and only finally woke up when Yugi defeated Kaiba in a duel, and my theory is that because Kaiba's 'Dark Side' was involved, Shadow Magic was also used, making it so Grandpa could only recover when the duel was won by Yugi.**

**I believe that's everything, so I'm going to sign off. Because **_**apparently **_**I've got to spend an entire months' worth of allowance on repairs and new shoes. BraviaryGirl7 out.**


	3. S1 E2

**A/N: Okay, first of all, again, I want no spoilers in the Reviews for what happens in the show. Second, if there is anything that is out of place, or chronologically incorrect or whatever other kind of logically there is, please point it out, because all this has to be PERFECT! Anyway, as I said, the Pokémon won't have much of a huge role at first, but will become extremely important later on, along with… well, I don't wanna spoil anything, but I'll just say that these four are not the only Pokémon in this story. And so—**

**Pichu: Um, excuse me!**

**Me: Yes?**

**Pichu: How come we don't get to do anything but stay down low here? *pouting***

**Me: Because—Riolu already told you that, didn't he? Because it's weird for a bunch of mysterious creatures from another world to just show up one day. If people found out, you wouldn't be able to go anywhere! Think logically!**

**Pichu: Hmph… Fine, be that way… *walks off in a huff* **

**Me: Sorry, but you're not gonna change my mind… I **_**am **_**the one writing this, aren't I?**

**Pichu: I'll show you change your mind… *under his breath***

**Me: Uh… Am I supposed to take that seriously?**

***clatter in the background***

**Riolu: PICHU! Um, do you have a broom I could borrow?**

**Me: Oh, for crying out loud! There's one in the closet over there.**

**Riolu: Thanks.**

**Me: Ugh… I don't own Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh, but please enjoy the show.**

* * *

**The Gauntlet is Thrown**

…

…_Pikachu…_

_...I can understand that you are going through much right now…_

…_I can see your disdain, sense your confusion… _

…_I can hear your questions…_

…_Pikachu._

_In order for you to fully understand why I have brought you here, you will need to understand the true connection between the two worlds. I warn you, this will not make much sense at first, however, I believe that gradually, things will become clearer… _

_So, now, let me show you…_

_The true connection between the worlds!_

* * *

**Vision…**

_Pikachu wasn't sure whether he was dreaming or if he was really there, but he knew he wasn't sure where he was. It was quite dark, so it was a little hard to tell, but he seemed to be in a vast desert of sorts. He thought he was supposed to do something, seeing as nothing was happening. However, he saw that it seemed to be one of those dreams (assuming it _was _a dream) where he was supposed to watch, and soon heard something. He then noticed something. It had been hard to see before because it blended into the background so well, but there it was; another Pikachu. It seemed to be waking up, as if it had been knocked unconscious or had fallen asleep. It groaned lightly as it pushed itself up, and held its head as if it had a headache, and then surveyed its surroundings. It looked around repeatedly as if it was looking for something… or someone. It stood up on its feet and began to call out. Pikachu could tell it was concerned from the angle its ears were drooping, and then noticed something; on the Pikachu's right ear, where the black tip is normally a straight line was a zigzag pattern. When it called out, Pikachu realized its voice was slightly deeper than most Pikachu. He also noticed, judging by its tail, that the Pikachu was a male._

"_Evelyn! Where are you? Evelyn!" the Pikachu called out repeatedly. After getting no reaction, he started calling a different name. "Rizku! Rizku! It's me! Where are you?!" He called and called, but no one came. His ears drooped down all the way, and he began to cry. "E-Evelyn… Rizku… Where are you…?"_

_**Where are you?**_

**End of Vision…**

Pikachu awoke with a bit of a start and glanced around the room. It was about 6:00 A.M. in the morning and Yugi was just getting up as well. _Wow… what a weird dream… I guess it was a dream… right? Ohhh… I guess I still have a lot of… stuff to think about… Urgh… I don't think I can handle hiding out again… Can't handle staying hidden from the world and thinking about everything that happened yesterday… It's too much… I'll just… stay here… But… can I handle staying alone…? I… I guess I'll just ask for them to stay with me… Just for today… Riolu? _He called out telepathically to his friend, hoping the connection would reach, and reach it did.

_Yeah?_

_Can… can you and the others… stay here today? I… just don't feel up to leaving right now…_

_We'll be right there._

_Thanks… _

…

**Domino High**

"Joey, make a move already," Tristan urged as Joey took his time taking his turn in a duel against Téa. Yugi sat at the side of the table, observing the friendly duel.

"'Kay, here ya go, tough guy," Joey stated as he placed a monster on the table. "My Rock Ogre's gonna knock your block off." (Lvl. 3. Atk. 800. Def. 1200.)

"Hmm," Téa hummed as she placed a monster called the Happy Lover on the field. (Lvl. 2. Atk. 800. Def. 500.)

"Yeah, Téa, like that wimpy card has a chance against my giant rock guy," Joey laughed. "Give it up!"

"Guess I don't stand a chance unless maybe I use the Breath of Light card," she countered.

"Huh? Can she do that?" Joey asked.

"Oh, yeah," Yugi answered. "The Breath of Light wears down rock monsters. Reduces them to rubble."

"That brings your Life Points down to zero, Joey. Once again, you lose and I rock."

"You stink at this game," Tristan remarked. Joey groaned in defeat as he placed his head on the table.

* * *

**Game Shop**

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Riolu asked, sitting down on a blanket.

"Well, you know how a bunch of freaky stuff happened yesterday?" Pikachu began.

"Freaky bein' a sub-jec-tive term?" Pichu asked jokingly, only to receive a glare from Riolu, signaling for him to be quiet.

"Do you even know what that means?" Riolu asked Pichu.

"Uh…" Pichu started, but found himself lost in his own words. Biting his lower lip, he tried to quickly think of something to say to avoid getting into a long lecture. "Can I get back to you on that?" Riolu sighed.

"I guess I'd be right to assume that you just heard someone say that and decided to copy it…" Riolu took a big breath as he prepared to lecture Pichu, but was cut off when Eevee cleared her throat to get their attention, and then tilted her head back in Pikachu's direction.

"Oh, sorry," Riolu apologized. "You were saying?"

"I was saying that everything that happened yesterday was no coincidence," Pikachu explained, his voice suddenly dropping into a serious tone.

"Huh?" the rest all breathed in unison. Every eye was on him, all attention drawn to his words.

"And I… have a feeling… just a feeling… that it might have caused something… So, we should be alert today… that is, if my instincts are correct…" Pikachu continued. For a while, there was silence from both the speaker and the listener, as they all let Pikachu's words sink in.

"Um, okay," Pichu finally said, having no actual clue of the seriousness of the conversation, having only kept quiet because of the others.

"I'm sorry," Pikachu suddenly laughed, an awkward, unconvincing smile on his face. "I don't mean to worry anyone." He tried to make it sound as convincing as possible, even though it was a mask of confusion and stress. _Should I tell them about the dream I had? …Nah, I don't wanna dump everything I want to whine about on them just because of something I'm not even sure about. What am I even worried about, anyway? _Sensing Pikachu's lie with his quivering tail, a reaction he always had when he sensed a lie, Riolu tried to identify the source of Pikachu's stress, and found something that honestly didn't surprise him.

_He's homesick… _Riolu realized._ Just like the rest of us are… but it doesn't even take a mind reader to see that he's the one hurt the most by this… Although, usually when his instincts tell him something, they're rarely wrong… so…_

"If you want, we can always stay here and help you try to figure it out," Riolu offered gently. Noticing the sudden change in Riolu's tone, Eevee instantly nodded in agreement, while Pichu gave a hearty 'yep!' while doing a little jump, still not quite understanding the gravity of Pikachu's situation. For the first time all day, Pikachu was able to put on a genuine smile.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

* * *

**Domino High**

"Tristan's right, Yugi. I _do _stink," Joey said unenthusiastically as he lay on top of a bar next to his friend. "I can't win at Duel Monsters to save my life. What is it, Yugi? Why can't I ever win? Teach me what I'm doin' wrong." Happy to help his friend, Yugi jumped off of the bar and approached his friend.

"Well, let's start by checking your deck, Joey," Yugi said.

"Huh? 'Kay, here ya go," Joey said as he handed Yugi his deck.

"Yeah, thanks." Yugi began to survey Joey's deck, quickly identifying cards and flipping through to the next one. It didn't take an expert to know what was wrong with the deck; all the cards were monsters.

"Powerhouse lineup, don't ya think?" Joey asked rhetorically.

"No one can win with these," Yugi said. "Joey, your deck's filled with nothing but monster cards."

"You got it," Joey proclaimed proudly. "I packed it with every butt-kickin' monster I could find."

"But that's not how the game works," Yugi countered to Joey's surprise.

"Huh?"

"Duel Monsters is all about combining your monster cards with your magic cards to increase their strength. With no magic in your deck, your monsters will get creamed every time."

"Huh? See! That's the kind of stuff I need to know! Yugi, you've gotta help me learn more!" Joey suddenly demanded, leaving the bar and getting in his friend's face.

"Uh…" was the only reply he could think of.

* * *

**Game Shop**

"Well, I suppose it's possible that all that freaky stuff that happened yesterday has something to do with why we're here." Riolu speculated, arms crossed in concentration. "Although, I admit I was expecting the reason to be a little less… uh…"

"Vague?" Eevee finished for him.

"Yeah, that's it," Riolu responded.

"We'll find out more," Pikachu assured. "I'm sure of it."

"Hmm… Alright, if you say so," Riolu put his trust in his friend.

"Hey, guys! Yugi and Joey are comin'!" Pichu alerted them from by the window, as he had soon lost interest in the conversation the older Pokémon were having and had been watching for when the spiky-haired teenager returned home. Having nothing more to say on the matter, Pikachu cut the conversation short and the four Pokémon surveyed the situation.

"My grandpa's the real game expert in the family," Yugi said to Joey. "Maybe he can help." As they walked in the store, they were met with Yugi's grandpa putting up an advertising poster for Duel Monsters. The Pokémon quickly scampered down the stairs, curious as ever. "Hey, Grandpa, I brought you a new student!"

"Huh? Student?" Grandpa asked, looking away from the poster.

"I was hoping, since you know more about Duel Monsters than anyone, maybe you'd teach me," Joey hoped.

"Teach you? Duel Monsters is a very complex game," Grandpa warned him.

"Yeah, tell me about it. Téa beat me 3 games in a row," Joey recalled.

"Actually, Téa beat you 5 times in a row, Joey," Yugi corrected.

"5! Aw, man!" Joey griped, more embarrassed than he would like to admit. Hearing this, Pichu burst out in a laughing fit, falling on his back off of the counter.

"Loser! Ha-ha-ha-ha!" Pichu laughed. Joey growled at him, but didn't stop his laughing. His attention was soon caught by the poster, which portrayed Gia the Fierce Knight, and Harpy's Pet Dragon, two ideally strong monsters.

"Hmm. Yes, I could teach you to be a great tournament Duelist," Grandpa said. "But only if you're willing to spend endless days and sleepless nights filled with rigorous training."

"Ah! Piece of cake!" Joey boasted, not believing the training to be as bad as advertised.

"With an attitude like that, teaching you may not be worth my effort," Grandpa decided, startling Joey.

"Nice goin' there, smart mouth!" Yugi told his friend, as he had just messed up.

"Please, Yugi, help me convince him," Joey begged, suddenly on his knees. "I _will _work hard; I promise."

"Listen, Joey, teaching you Duel Monsters is too big a challenge, even for my Grandpa," Yugi said, unsuccessfully trying to console his friend.

"It's not… impossible…" Grandpa grumbled.

"You mean it, Gramps?" Joey asked hopefully.

"Joey, he already said he can't do it, and if he can't do it, he can't do it," Yugi tried to convince Joey.

"I never said I couldn't do it," Grandpa countered. "But if I agree, you must work hard."

"I'll do anything! I promise, I promise!" Joey hastily said.

"Hmm. Fine. Then we'll begin your instruction immediately, my young friend, and believe me, under _my _tutelage, you _will _learn," Grandpa decided. "Now, can you name the most powerful Duel Monster?"

"Uh… no," Joey answered, unable to remember such a monster.

"Can you name the weakest?" Grandpa asked.

"No," Joey nervously answered.

"You _do _know what a Trap Card is, don't you?" Grandpa kept asking.

"Kinda… I have no idea…" Joey admitted.

* * *

"_Good evening, Duel fans, and our 10 million viewers at home, and welcome to the Duel Monsters Duel Dome, where tonight, the Duel Monsters Regional Championship will be decided!" _the announcer on TV excitedly proclaimed. _"Of the 200 Duelists that have competed in this marathon tournament, only two competitors remain standing! Put your cards together for Weevil Underwood, the Bug-Brawler!" _The Duelist on the right side of the arena was a short person wearing a lime-green jacket, had large glasses, and had blueish-green hair. _"And his opponent, the number-one-ranked Rex Raptor, Dino-Duelist!" _The person at the opposite side of the arena wore a green and beige jacket, had brown hair with a purple streak in it, and wore a red beanie.

"Regional Championship?" Eevee asked curiously, sitting on a stray pillow that Yugi had set out. "A simple card game is _this _popular?"

"Oh, yeah," Yugi answered. "Duel Monsters is popular all over the world."

"Bug-boy versus Dinosaur-breath? What kind of match is that? That should have been me in there!" Joey complained as he watched the match on Yugi's television.

"I know you've been training for weeks, but those guys are in another league. You're just not ready yet," Téa tried to calm him down.

"Sure, rub it in," Joey said with his eyes closed, trying to sound offended.

"And on top of that, you're so tired you can't keep your eyes open," Yugi added. Rather than answer, Joey responded with a snore, as he had fallen asleep. Pichu, who had been sitting on top of Joey's head for a change, hung upside-down in front of his face to inspect more closely. Turning his head towards the others, he said,

"Yeah, just watchin' him makes me sleepy," Not a second later, he fell straight to the floor, pretending to be asleep as well.

"Pichu, you haven't done anything today but watch Joey's training," Riolu remarked while leaning against the right wall.

"Exactly, and watching a guy train his hands off takes it out of you," Pichu said, his voice muffled from having landed face-down on Joey's left shoe.

"Just ignore him," Riolu advised, sighing.

"And _we've _done nothing but sit around this house for weeks," Pikachu added, resting under the table.

"Yeah, good point," Riolu admitted, head hanging in defeat.

"I think Grandpa's lessons have been a bit too tough for him," Yugi said, referring to Joey.

_Flashback…_

_Joey sat at the table, practicing shuffling his deck. Incredibly tired, he dropped the cards, letting them scatter all over the table, and then slumping his head onto the table as well._

"_Ugh! So tired. Must rest," Joey groaned. Grandpa, holding a wooden staff, irritably surveyed Joey as he tried to drift off to sleep._

"_You have no time for rest!" Grandpa shouted, slamming the staff on the table to startle Joey awake. "Did you come here to learn Duel Monsters, or did you come here to catch up on your sleeping?!"_

_End of Flashback…_

"You see, it's true what they say," Tristan began quietly. Loudly, he said, "You snooze, you lose!" Having only been half-asleep, Joey woke up in annoyance upon hearing this, causing Téa to laugh slightly.

"Ugh, I must've been nuts to think I could ever learn this crazy game," Joey groaned, quickly losing his confidence.

"Time for your next lesson," Grandpa announced as he came into the room, holding some kind of package.

"Wha—we're not done?!" Joey asked in disbelief.

"Not by a long shot, you slacker," Grandpa said jokingly. Joey groaned again, already exhausted. "Now, quit your whining, Joseph. I know you've been working long and hard, but you really are coming along as a Duelist, and I'm quite proud of you." Hearing this, Joey teared up a bit.

"Gramps… thank you," Joey thanked and tried to hug him, but he walked away, making him fall off the couch.

"Oh, by the way, Yugi," Grandpa remembered why he had entered the room. "This package came for you."

"A package? What is it, Gramps?" Yugi asked.

"I don't know. It just came in the mail," Grandpa answered, giving Yugi the package.

"It's from Industrial Illusions," Yugi read.

"Industrial Illusions?! That's the company that makes the Duel Monsters game!" Joey recalled the company. "Why the heck would they be sending a package to you, Yugi?"

"I have no idea. Is it possible they heard I beat the world champion?" Yugi guessed.

"You mean Kaiba?" Téa asked.

"I don't like that guy!" Pichu remarked from on the floor.

"Yeah. It wasn't an official match or anything, but Kaiba _did _drop out of the tournament because of me," Yugi explained.

_Flashback…_

_Yugi stood against Kaiba in the Dueling arena, fighting against the odds for his grandpa._

"_Draw your last pathetic card so I can end this, Yugi," Kaiba said._

"_My grandpa's deck _has _no pathetic cards, Kaiba," Yugi said as he drew his card. "But it _does _contain the unstoppable Exodia!"_

"_Aah! Impossible!" Kaiba shouted._

"_Exodia, Obliterate!" Yugi commanded. The attack destroyed all three dragons, and sent Kaiba's Life Points down to 0._

_End of Flashback…_

"Just hearin' Kaiba's name gives me a headache," Joey remarked, holding his head for good measure, nearly grabbing the Pichu that had climbed back on his head.

"Oh, me, too!" Pichu added, dodging Joey's hand and holding his own head as well.

"Whoa! Guys, Raptor just stomped Weevil!" Tristan interrupted, snapping everyone back to reality.

"Yugi, these guys any good?" Joey asked, focused on the duel.

"Oh, yeah," Yugi answered. "They're both pretty tough customers. Weevil specializes in Insect Cards, and he's a great strategist. Then you've got Rex Raptor and his Dinosaur Cards. He uses their power to overwhelm his opponents."

"Itsy-bitsy bugs against duelin' dinosaurs?" Joey laughed. "Raptor has got this one in the bag."

"Yep!" Pichu agreed, accidentally letting off some sparks.

"Hey, watch it!" Joey warned Pichu as the sparks made contact with his head.

"Sorry," Pichu apologized with a sheepish smile.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Yugi said about the duel.

"_Alright, Weevil," _Rex said to his opponent. _"Consider yourself dinosaur chow!"_

"_Ooh, and Raptor plays the strongest card in his deck—the terrible Two-Headed King Rex! Looks like this match could be over right here, right now!" _the announcer said. (Two-Headed King Rex: Lvl. 4. Atk. 1600. Def. 1200.)

* * *

"_We're back, Monster fans, and with Two-Headed King Rex in play, it looks like this Duel is all done!" _the announcer continued.

"_Your move!" _Rex called to Weevil. Weevil responded with a rather annoying snicker and a pestering grin on his face. *1

"_And all I have is this weak, little bug," _Weevil said with mock disappointment as he played the Basic Insect. (Lvl. 2. Atk. 500. Def. 700.)

"_Weevil Underwood counters with a Basic Insect card!" _the announcer told the crowd in surprise.

"He plays a wimpy bug against a giant dinosaur?" Joey asked, not impressed thus far. "The place will be covered in bug guts."

"Maybe, but I wouldn't underestimate Weevil," Yugi said, still skeptical.

"Yeah, yeah! Bug guts!" Pichu agreed with Joey, then eyed a spider on the wall behind him, an animal they had asked for identification for in an earlier week. "SPY-DARE!" He suddenly jumped off of Joey's head, lunging for the spider, lightly kicking the back of Joey's head and shocking him again in the process. Of course, he missed the spider entirely and ended up smashing into the wall.

"Ow! Hey, I thought I told you to watch it!" Joey shouted at him, holding the back of his head.

"Sorry again!" Pichu shouted as he got up off the floor and started chasing the spider around the room. "Come back! I just wanna squish you!" Of course, the spider didn't stop. He lunged as the spider dashed under the couch. "I gotcha now!" Missed. He ran after the spider as it crawled between Grandpa's legs. "Now I gotcha!" Missed again. He jumped for it as he thought he had backed it into the corner of the room. "I gotcha dis time!" Missed, and tripped over his right ear, and landed on his head with his tail sticking up in the air. Seeing the spider crawl up the wall and stop a few inches above him, as if mocking him, he scrambled to his feet and started growling. "Don'tcha know it's bad manners to not hold still while somebody's tryin' ta squish your guts?!" he yelled and raised his paws as he prepared to slam the spider.

"Pichu, why don't you leave the spider alone before you break something, and/or hurt yourself?" Riolu suggested, catching his attention and stopping him a moment before he would have squished the spider.

"He started it!" Pichu yelled back, pointing an accusatory finger at the spider, which ran in odd circles, still seeming to be mocking him. It was as if he could almost hear it chittering at his expense.

"Yeah, by doing nothing?" Riolu added quietly as he rolled his eyes.

"Why don't you come over here and watch the duel with us?" Eevee offered sweetly. With this, the spider skittered up to the ceiling and out of Pichu's reach. Glaring up at the spider, Pichu put his paws against the wall, trying to get a little closer to it.

"YOU WIN DIS ROUND, SPY-DARE!" he shouted at it before dropping his anger and hopping back over to the couch. "I'm coming!" He climbed back onto Joey's head, but not without receiving a warning.

"One more shock, and you're watching this on the floor," Joey told him simply.

"Okay!" Pichu cheerfully nodded, acting as if the spider incident never happened.

"_King Rex, let's take this championship!" _Rex shouted, full of confidence. _"Stomp 'em!" _

"_You attacked your way into my trap," _Weevil snickered. _"But then, how could your tiny dinosaur brain know? When an enemy attacks, my Vortex activates!" _The computer beeped as it registered the data of the Trap Card.

"_Oh, no! It's a Trap Card!" _Rex realized.

"_Which totally traps your King Rex in its inescapable embrace!" _Weevil pointed out as the virtual simulator created the image of a swirling sand vortex encircling King Rex.

"_No! My King Rex!" _Rex panicked.

"_And while he's trapped there, I'll upgrade my Basic Insect by giving him Armor with Laser Cannon," _Weevil added, playing the Magic Card. _"Not such a weak little bug now, hmm? Attack!" _Rex yelled as King Rex was blown to bits by Basic Insect's attack, bringing his Life Points down to 0. _"And King Rex is extinct." _

"_Aww… Beaten by a bug…" _Rex cursed under his breath, unable to believe he lost.

"_A stunning upset by Weevil Underwood, our newest champion!" _the announcer said to the already-cheering crowd.

"Man, King Rex squashed by an insect?" Joey asked in disbelief.

"Whoa!" Pichu gaped in awe, but then fell off of Joey's head. "Whoa! OW!" Joey glanced down at the floor in concern. "I'm okay!"

"_And now," _the announcer continued. _"A very special honor for our new champion! Here to present the Duel Monsters Championship trophy, the creator of Duel Monsters and the president of Industrial Illusions, ladies and gentlemen and fellow Duelists, I give you Mr. Maximillion Pegasus!" _On the arena floor, a platform opened up and a man with a red jacket, red pants and long, white hair rose up to the arena. Something was to be noticed about his hair; it covered his left eye. He held a trophy that was clearly for the winner of the tournament.

"_Congratulations," _Pegasus said kindly as he handed the trophy to Weevil.

"_Uh, thank you," _Weevil thanked as he accepted the trophy, both prideful and embarrassed.

"_And as Regional Champion," _Pegasus continued. _"I invite you to compete in a bold, new tournament I'm hosting at Duelist Kingdom!"_

* * *

**Later, elsewhere…**

A limo drove down the busy city street, and inside was a man who was contemplating whether his plan had worked.

"Mr. Pegasus, with the announcement that you made tonight, we'll have thousands of Duelists flocking to Duelist Kingdom," an associate said.

"Yes," Pegasus agreed. "An event such as this will hopefully attract those who possess the Millennium Items I seek. Which reminds me…"

"The package was delivered to the boy just as you ordered, sir," he answered.

"Excellent."

* * *

**Meanwhile, Game Shop…**

"Something bugs me about that guy…" Riolu grumbled.

"Bugs?! WHERE?!" Pichu demanded, running up to Riolu. After receiving an unamused gaze from him, Pichu thought hard for a second. "Ohh, you meant the other kind of bug."

"Yes, I meant the other kind of bug," Riolu confirmed and threw Pichu off of his face, and he landed back on Joey's head.

"Way-hey-hey!" is what he had shouted as he flew through the air.

"Hey," Joey warned.

"Nice catch!" Pichu complimented.

"I don't know. He seems nice," Eevee optimized, referring to Pegasus.

"Yeah. What's a Pegasus?" Pichu got in Joey's face and asked.

"It's supposed to be mythical horse with wings, although, in this case, it's his last name," Yugi answered.

"Oh, okay," Pichu accepted the answer. Leaping onto Yugi's head, he added, "You're a smarty-pants!"

"Wow, I'm amazed," Riolu said sarcastically.

"That Weevil won the tournament?" Eevee asked.

"No, that Pichu got an animal name right," Riolu answered, causing Pichu to get back in his face.

"HEY!" he shouted, offended.

"Calm down," Riolu simply said as he pulled Pichu off of his face again. Pikachu smiled at his friend's normal little fight, but then held his head as he felt a familiar sensation rush back to him; the dizziness he always felt before the Voice started talking to him again.

"Oh, no…" he inaudibly whined, unsure, for the sake of his sanity, he could take another visit from 'the Voice'.

_That man is trying to deceive you. Do not be fooled by the kindness in his voice. It is all but a mask, an illusion covering danger. Be very careful, and do not let him—_

*THUNK!*

Unable to take the droning voice, Pikachu had banged his head against the table, the only method he could think of for getting rid of the pestering voice. "Ow…" he moaned as he held his head and wobbled out from under the table.

"Are you okay?" Yugi asked in concern.

"Yeah… yeah, just a bump…" Pikachu winced through clenched teeth, still wary and listening for the Voice. And just when he let himself relax…

…_Fool you. I was going to say 'fool you'. Good night. _

"AAARGH!" Pikachu shouted as he rammed into the right wall, not far from Riolu. Riolu, Eevee, and Pichu had gathered around him in concern. If anyone hadn't been watching him after he banged his head on the table, they were watching him now.

"Are you sure you're alright?! Do you want me to call someone?!" Yugi pressed, getting off the couch to see if he was alright.

"Maybe a vet would know what to do?" Téa suggested.

"Wouldn't a vet contact some scientists?" Tristan countered.

"How's a vet supposed to know what to do anyway?" Joey added on. "How're any of us supposed to know what to do?"

"Got a point," Grandpa admitted. "For all we know, Pokémon anatomy could be completely different from any kind of animal we're familiar with."

"Is there anything you need?" Yugi asked gently.

"Ash…" Pikachu almost whined aloud, lying on the floor and holding his head in pain.

"What was that?" Yugi asked, having not heard him. Regaining his senses, Pikachu slowly got up, still holding his head with one paw.

"I said… it's nothing… just a headache…" he lied, wobbling towards the stairs. "I think I just need to sleep it off… Good night…" Rather than climbing all the way up the stairs to Yugi's room, he lay against the wall, curled up in a heap against the base of the stairs. Yugi gazed at him with concern.

"You shouldn't worry! He's tough!" Pichu assured. "Like this! Hyah!" For good measure, he tried doing a kick, but ended up kicking Joey in the side of his head, shocking him once again. Of course, the impact sent him flying backwards and into the right wall. "I'm okay!"

"Ow!" Joey groaned loudly. "Hey, I told you!"

"Sorry one more time!" Pichu called.

"Ugh…" Riolu sighed again. "Although, I agree that you shouldn't worry about him."

"Ha, in all the excitement, you forgot to open your package, Yugi," Grandpa reminded him.

"What could it be?" Yugi wondered, as well as everyone else. Even the Pokémon were filled with curiosity as Yugi finally opened the mysterious package. Within the box were several things; a deep magenta colored glove, two small, star-like objects, and a video tape. *2

"It's some kind of glove," Téa noticed.

"And stars," Joey added. Pichu, curious as ever, decided it would be a good idea to poke his head into the glove for a closer look.

"Hey, look at me!" he said, though his voice was muffled. But because he couldn't see where he was going, he wobbled right off the table. Panicking, he frantically ran around the room, shouting, "Get it off me!"

"Maybe there's an explanation on the video," Tristan said, ignoring Pichu, as was everyone else.

"Pop it in and check it out," Joey suggested. Yugi put the tape in the TV, and was at first met with static. After a second, it cleared up and revealed the face of Pegasus.

"_Greetings, little Yugi," _he greeted. _"I am Maximillion Pegasus."_

"Pegasus?" Joey repeated.

"We just saw him on TV," Téa recalled.

"The famous Maximillion Pegasus sends greetings to my Yugi?" Grandpa asked no one in particular.

"Get it off me!" Pichu shouted, running back across the room.

"_I have heard some terribly interesting things about you, little Yugi," _Pegasus continued. Yugi was confused, but kept listening to the video. _"Your impressive defeat of Seto Kaiba intrigued me so much, I've decided to investigate your amazing dueling skills personally."_

"Get it off me!" Pichu shouted once more before Riolu grabbed him by the head and yanked him out of the glove. "Oh, thank you!"

"Pichu, you might want to consider getting your head examined before you hurt someone with it," Riolu sighed.

"HEY! I don't really know what that means, but I'm taking it as an insult!" Pichu shouted back.

"Would you two mind bein' quiet over there?" Joey asked.

"_Right here, right now, we shall hold a special duel," _Pegasus continued. _"We'll play with a strict time limit of 15 minutes, and when time's up, the player with the highest Life Points will be the winner. Are you ready?"_ Yugi, at a loss for words, had to wonder what he was talking about.

"Wha—he can't seriously expect you to fight a duel against a video tape!" Joey said.

"That's crazy!" Tristan added. On the tape, Pegasus chuckled, as if he had heard them.

_No, it's magic! _As the thought was projected throughout the room, the hair covering his left eye parted, revealing a golden artificial eye. Yugi barely had time to blink before it seemed that time had frozen within the room.

"Everything's growing dark and cold and the others aren't moving. What have you done to them?! Where have you taken us?!" Yugi demanded. Pegasus chuckled in amusement again.

"We are no longer in the world you know," Pegasus answered. "But I will return you after our game."

"Then, it's time to duel!" Yugi shouted, and in a flash of golden light, he had transformed yet again. Pikachu, who had somehow escaped the temporal anomaly, stared in awe at Yami Yugi, knowing that this was very possibly what his instincts had been sensing.

"Start the clock and make your move, Pegasus," Yami said.

"Certainly, let's begin," Pegasus said. The clock on the TV began to count down from 15 minutes. "Nervous, Yugi-boy? You should be." He placed a card on the table. "You have never faced a Duelist like me before."

"You may be good," Yami began.

"I assure you, I am," Pegasus said.

"But I will beat you to save my friends," Yami finished, unfazed by Pegasus' attempt to unnerve him.

"You won't save anyone with that dragon card," Pegasus said, his fake eye glowing, indicating the Komori Dragon card Yami had been about to play. (Lv. 3. Atk. 1500. Def. 1200.)

"How—?" Yami tried to figure out how Pegasus had read his move.

"I told you you've never faced anyone like me before," Pegasus said. "I know every move you'll make before you can even make it." Pikachu, hiding a good distance behind the couch from both Pegasus and Yami, wondered how Pegasus had seemingly read his mind, and wondered whether he should come out of hiding and try to help. But what could he do? This wasn't a battle. He couldn't fight. He couldn't even try to help with Yami's moves; he knew as much about the game as his friends, which was almost next to nothing. Crouching back further behind the couch, he decided against coming out, and instead watched the duel play out, gripping his still-aching head. "Knowing every move you'll make gives me a distinct advantage, wouldn't you say?"

"What?!" Yami hissed to himself, trying to comprehend Pegasus' trick.

"For example," Pegasus continued. "I can anticipate your next play and counter it with this Dragon Capture Jar." He activated the Trap Card. "It will draw the Komori Dragon from your card and imprison the beast." Without the use of a virtual simulator, the jar appeared on the field, and sucked in the purple dragon. "Trapped, never to be played against me.

_This is crazy, _Yugi thought. _First he reads my mind, then he brings the monster on my card to life._

"This dark dimension we're in is known as the 'Shadow Realm'," Pegasus explained. "A mystical place where incredible monsters can be summoned and the impossible is quite possible."

"But what you're telling me can't be true," Yugi tried to deny.

"Tell me, Yugi, do you think there is magic in these cards?" Pegasus asked.

"Don't you know? You invented this game," Yugi countered. *3

"What if I told you I didn't?" Pegasus asked, surprising Yugi. "In ancient times," Pegasus began to explain. "The Egyptians called this the Shadow Game. Powerful Pharaohs would hold mystical duels in other dimensions just as we're doing now, but not with cards. They battled with real monsters and real magic—magical forces so powerful the Egyptians lost control of them and nearly destroyed the entire world."

"It's a good story, Pegasus," Yugi said. "But these monsters can't be real."

"Tell that to my Dragon Piper," Pegasus said as he played the Monster. (Dragon Piper: Lvl. 3. Atk. 200. Def. 1800.) "As his Flute of Resurrection frees your Komori Dragon, but puts him under _my _control." The purple, sharp-winged dragon roared in defiance of its original master as it was freed from the capture jar.

"I have to counterattack!" Yami realized and placed a new monster on the field. "Silver Fang!" (Lvl. 3. Atk. 1200. Def. 800.) Komori Dragon launched its fire at the wolf. It wasn't strong enough to defeat the dragon, but it protected most of his Life Points. "The heat!" he winced in pain, as if the attacks actually were real.

"Ha!" Pegasus laughed amusedly. "As you see, Yugi, these monsters are very real." He laughed again. "And also quite dangerous." As Pegasus continued his evil, creepy laugh, Yami kept up his cold, emotionless stare, trying to figure his opponent out. "Ahh, Yugi-boy. You really are quite entertaining—the way you scowl and sneer, so defiant and yet helpless and so completely ignorant of the power of your Millennium Puzzle."

"What?!" Yugi hissed to himself, thoroughly confused.

"5,000 years ago," Pegasus began. "A powerful Pharaoh locked the magic of the Shadow Games away."

_Shadow Games? _Pikachu thought to himself, still carefully crouched in his hiding place. _What are those?_

"What's this have to do with me?" Yugi demanded, growing impatient.

"The pharaoh captured these vast magical energies in seven mystical Millennium Items," Pegasus continued.

"Seven items?" Yugi mused. "You're saying that my Puzzle's one of them?"

"Yes," Pegasus answered. "And there are mystical energies locked within it—magic that could change your life forever if you only knew how to unleash it."

"But why are you telling me this?" Yugi asked, growing wary.

"Why?" Pegasus repeated, as if the answer was obvious. "Simply because I need you to know." He placed a facedown card on the table. "But perhaps I have said too much, and since the clock is still ticking, I propose we resume playing our little duel."

_He's right, _Yugi realized. _Time's running out, and I still haven't figured out whether he can really read my mind or if it's some kind of trick._ Pegasus uncovered the hair covering his left eye, and read Yugi's mind, finding out the strongest card in his hand, the Zombie Warrior. (Lvl. 3. Atk. 1200. Def. 900.) _I've got to try something. Maybe my Zombie Warrior. _Pegasus chuckled. _Wait a minute! He definitely knows what I'm about to do, but how? It's got to have something to do with that weird eye of his. That's it, isn't it? That weird eye must somehow let him see the cards in my hand. So, no matter which card I pick, he's already one step ahead of me. But that gives me an idea. _Yami smirked.

"Hurry up now, Yugi-boy," Pegasus reminded him, never once losing the cruel confidence in his voice. "Time is running out, for you andyour friends."

_Pegasus is expecting me to play one of the cards in my hand, _Yugi deduced. _But what if I play a card even I haven't seen yet? What happens if I draw a new card straight from the deck without even looking at it? _Yugi tested his idea, not even glancing to see what kind of card it was.

"I already know you plan to play the Zombie Warrior," Pegasus said, having no idea of how wrong he was. "And I'm already prepared to counter it with a trap card that makes even zombies lie down and play dead."

"Not this time," Yami said as he smirked again. "I figured out your little game, Pegasus. You may be able to see the cards in my hand, but you can't see the cards I pull from the deck."

"Hmm?" Pegasus hummed as he tried to figure out the situation.

"My next card is…" Yami began, flipping the facedown card over. "The Dark Magician!" Pegasus wasn't afraid, but realized Yugi had discovered a flaw in his powers. (Dark Magician: Lvl. 7 Atk. 2500. Def. 2100.) *4

"Ooh, the big, scary, Dark Magician," Pegasus said with sarcastic fear.

"Mock me all you like, Pegasus, but my magician will destroy that dragon!" Yami proclaimed confidently.

"Go right ahead if you think it'll help," Pegasus said, not at all fazed.

"It'll do more than help, Pegasus," Yami said, smirking again. "It'll bring you closer to defeat, and bring me closer to saving my friends."

"If it can do all that, by all means, play it," Pegasus said as he smirked, as if he was testing Yugi.

"Dark Magician, Dark Magic Attack!" Yami commanded. Pegasus winced as the dragon was defeated, and his Life Points were brought down lower than Yugi's. But as he recovered, he started laughing.

"Nicely played, but by using your Dark Magician, you've let me manipulate you once again," Pegasus said. Yami silently gasped to himself in surprise. "By playing that one card, you have ensured my victory."

"No," Yami said, unconvinced.

"We shall see, Yugi," Pegasus said. He drew a new card. "Oh, a very rare card. This is the fearsome Faceless Mage." (Lvl. 5. Atk. 1200. Def. 2200.)

"I've never seen that card before," Yami remarked. "But my Dark Magician is one of the strongest magic cards in the game."

"But how will he fare once I combine my Faceless Mage with the equally rare Eye of Illusion?" Pegasus asked as he played the magic card.

"Dark Magician, Dark Magic Attack!" Yami commanded. Oddly enough, the attack didn't connect, and instead, exploded. Smoke spread throughout the field, making it impossible to see for a few seconds. "Dark Magician!" Yami was worried the monster hadn't survived the explosion, but when the smoke cleared, the magician was still standing strong. _My attack had no effect at all. _Pegasus chuckled, obviously knowing what had happened and had been expecting the attack to fail. "His Faceless Mage should have been destroyed, but it's still standing and I'm running out of time." He glanced at the clock. There were five minutes left. _I'm up by 300 Life Points, but only because Pegasus is toying with me. I've got to find a way to beat him at his own Shadow Game. Pegasus knows all kinds of tricks, but I've got to find a way to defeat him. I just have to trust in my grandpa's cards. _He drew a new card. "I attack your combo with the Celtic Guardian!" (Lvl. 4. Atk. 1400. Def. 1200.) *5 "This mighty warrior will cut your Faceless Mage down to size."

"True, your guardian is mighty," Pegasus agreed. "But you have once again underestimated the incredible power of my Eye of Illusion!"

"No!" Yami gasped.

"Dark Magic Attack!" Pegasus surprisingly commanded. The guardian was easily defeated and smoke spread once again throughout the field.

"But that's impossible!" Yami said, trying to figure out what was going on. "The Faceless Mage doesn't have a Dark Magic Attack." Suddenly, as the smoke cleared, he gasped. "Oh, no!" The Dark Magician had destroyed Celtic Guardian. _It was my own Dark Magician that attacked me. Pegasus is controlling him with the Eye of Illusion. But if he's using its magic to control my magician, what's protecting his Mage?_

"Well, Yugi, our time together is nearly up, and as I've more Life Points than you, it appears I am the victor," Pegasus said. He seemed to be right; there were ten seconds left and counting.

"Time's not up just yet, Pegasus," Yami said, seeing hope. "And you've left your Faceless Mage vulnerable to a physical assault." He held up the card he just drew; the Summoned Skull. (Lvl. 6. Atk. 2500. Def. 1200.) Pegasus growled. "Summoned Skull, attack!" The monster was summoned, and launched itself at the mage, but just as it was about to hit, the clock ran out and both monsters disappeared. (Pegasus Life Points: 1200. Yugi's Life Points: 400.)

"Hmm, well, we've run out of time," Pegasus smiled sinisterly. "But how close was that? If you had been able to complete that attack, I would have lost. But I didn't, did I? I have taken the measure of your talents this day, Yugi Muto, and when next we duel, we shall play for far higher stakes."

"I'm done with your games," Yami said. Pegasus clicked his tongue.

"You presume I'm giving you a choice in the matter," Pegasus began. "But I'm not…" He uncovered his fake eye again. "For I, too, possess one of the 7 Millennium Items—the all-powerful Millennium Eye."

"A Millennium Eye?" Yami questioned, unsure of what Pegasus was going to do.

"That's right, Yugi-boy," Pegasus answered. "And now I'll show you the true extent of its magic." The eye glowed, then flashed, covering the room in a blinding light the exact same color as when the puzzle glowed. "You see, I have found that, given the proper incentive…" The beam of light shot behind Yugi, striking Grandpa, who was still unable to move. "Anyone can be made to play my game." Something rose out of Grandpa's body, and shot into the TV. Static was the first thing that appeared at first, but then the image of Yugi's Grandpa appeared.

"Yugi!" he called out just as the image disappeared. Yugi switched back to normal, confused for just a moment before he realized what was happening.

"Grandpa!" he called, grabbing the TV.

"_Yes, we will duel again, Yugi," _the voice of Pegasus repeated. The room started to unfreeze. _"How else will you ever reclaim your Grandfather's soul?" _Yugi shook the TV, not wanting to believe what had just happened. Pikachu finally crawled out from behind the sofa, eyes wide in shock, and heart heavy with disappointment, his headache completely forgotten. _I-I saw the whole thing happen… _Pikachu thought. _And I couldn't do anything to stop it…_

"Grandpa?" Yugi kept calling out, close to tears. "Grandpa. Grandpa!"

* * *

**A/N: Dang, I'm just now beginning to realize how quickly things escalate in this series. Anyway, sorry about taking so long… again. I've gotten back into the groove of writing now, though, so… Eh… I want to say that I hope the next chapter will be up sooner than last time, but I don't wanna jinx it. Let's just say I'll try to focus more on my stories—ALL of my stories. Also, I'm currently revising some of my older stories, so, they'll hopefully be more enjoyable. Anyway, just another quick thing, the *s will still be useless knowledge about the original version, but also little notes I have about things in the episodes, just little kind of important things. Here we go!**

**1: If you think he's annoying now, just wait a little bit. Trust me, even if you haven't seen the anime, just know that he gets much worse.**

**2: Okay, exactly what year is this, huh? Who uses video tapes anymore? I get this was made before most of its current fans were born, but sheesh, come on, it had to be said.**

**3: Uh, I know what you're thinking: I think the question is, don't **_**you **_**know? Did I guess right? Well, let me tell you, the one acting confused throughout Pegasus' whole 'explanation' is Yugi, not Yami. Makes a little more sense, right? I mean, you get that he has amnesia, but, still, it wouldn't make sense if Yami didn't know what Pegasus had been talking about, right? It's still Yami's voice talking, but keep in mind that their minds and spirits are merged together, so there are certain things that might come off as a little confusing, but, hey, that's why I'm here, doing this thing.**

**4: Okay, I know the Life Point counts and the Attack Point counts don't really make sense in this episode, but I'm just putting the stats on there the way I know them.**

**5: Just a little note to someone else who's going to be reading this, it is **_**just **_**the ****Celtic Guardian****, **_**not **_**Obnoxious Celtic Guardian****. You got that, **_**dad**_**? **

**Anyway, I think that wraps it up. So, please Review, and—Oh! One more thing. I have decided that if this Crossover gets at least 100 Reviews, there will be an extra, extremely high-quality, super-long chapter featuring the Yu-Gi-Oh! Movie: Pyramid of Light! So, if you want to see that, along with a few little added bonuses scattered throughout the chapter, please Review as much as you can! Thank you, and Arigato! BraviaryGirl7 out!**


	4. S1 E3

**A/N: Okay, first thing, before I forget, I've got a poll on my profile. I know it just seems like a lesser opinion poll, right? WRO-ONG! This poll is INCREDIBLY important to this story, because, as all of you who've seen the show know, the topic of the poll comes in at Season 4, so anyone and everyone interested, please vote. I really wanna know. Second thing, I have recently been reading another author's Yu-Gi-Oh/Legend of Zelda Crossovers; 'Mystery Girl with the Pharaoh', and its' sequel, 'Two Ancients in a Modern World', both by the same author; patem. Both of these stories are, in my opinion, incredibly sweet and fun, and I highly recommend them to anyone looking for something new to read. Alright, I don't want to use too much time here, so I'll just say that I don't own Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh, 'kay?**

* * *

**Journey to the Duelist Kingdom**

* * *

…

…_Pikachu…_

_...I understand that after recent events, you are struggling… _

…_You believe it was your fault…_

…_You are breaking on the inside…_

…_Yet, you hide this, from yourself and others…_

…_You know that you must be strong…_

…_I apologize for testing your sanity…_

…_I was merely attempting to warn you…_

…_And yet…_

…_I put you in an even worse position…_

…_I hope that you will forgive me…_

…_I hope you understand that we are in the same helpless position…_

…_I have decided…_

…_You wish to assist your newfound friends…_

…_I will not bother you while you are on your journey…_

…_However…_

…_There is one more scene that you need to see before you depart…_

…

…

…

…_I curse the day I invented my non-interference rule…_

* * *

**Vision**

_Pikachu glanced at his surroundings, knowing that he was in the same area as he had been in the previous vision. A large desert. But was he in the same place as last time? No. This time, instead of a wide, empty space filled with nothing but sand, there were several dry palm trees here and there, as well as large, odd triangular structures lined up in several odd rows that seemed to be constructed out of stone. There was the occasional passer-by, one of which tugging along the reigns of a creature quite foreign to Pikachu. To him, it sort of resembled a Camerupt, but not nearly as buff, and with tan fur instead of bright red with blue rings, and without the volcano-like features on its humps. This creature, he figured, was another one of the creatures from this world that slightly resembled the creatures from his world. Although, as intriguing as the Camerupt-like animal was, it didn't take long for Pikachu to locate the objective of the vision. There, curled up in a tiny sandpit, was something that shouldn't exist in this world, the dusty wind playing with its rare, white-silver fur as it slept; an Eevee. One thing Pikachu noticed instantly, besides its shininess, of course, that grasped in its paw was a golden-colored charm; with the same eye marking as Yugi's Millennium Puzzle, that seemed to be an Eevee-sized anklet. As if on cue, the Eevee started waking up. It dizzily supported itself on its feet, inadvertently letting the charm slip out of its paw. It woozily groaned and opened its eyes, then showed an extremely confused expression on its face, just like the Pikachu from the previous vision. _

"_Where am I?" it asked in a clearly feminine voice. She glanced around briefly, hoping for an answer. "How did I end up in a desert?" She tilted her head in confusion. "But… even when you're used to the forest…" She glanced around once more. "This seems… weird for a desert, doesn't it?" She suddenly had a look of realization, as if she had remembered something. "A-and, where are Uchu and Rizku?"_

Rizku? _Pikachu mentally repeated, recognizing the name. _That's one of the names that the Pikachu called out… Let's see… both the Pikachu and this Eevee called out two names, one of the names being the same… so, it stands to reason that when the Pikachu called out 'Evelyn', he meant this Eevee, and that Pikachu must have been Uchu, right? This has way too many connections to just be some silly dreams. These have got to be visions. But… if this is the world we're currently in… is this happening now? Or is it a vision of the past? But, wait! That wouldn't make sense! Absolutely _no one _we've run into on this planet so far has had a single idea of what we are! And if creatures like us _did _appear in the past, I doubt that would be something everyone would just forget about! …Or is this a vision of the future? Because if it's happening now, or going to happen, I don't know what to do. …Then again, I don't know what to make of anything right now. Alright, back on track, if those are the only names I've heard, then maybe they're the only ones who've come here… right? But, then, why haven't I seen this 'Rizku'? What kind of Pokémon is that? Or is it a human? Did a human fall through the portal? Or… aaahh, forget it! I don't care when, where or _why _this vision is taking place! I don't know who or what Rizku is, but I think it's safe to assume, that at this rate, I'm gonna find out soon enough! I don't care about figuring out the entire story this soon! I'm just gonna watch!

"_I wonder if they ended up somewhere around here…?" Evelyn kept thinking out loud. "Well, I guess if I don't know… then I don't know…" She took a small step back, her paw brushing against the strange charm. She took a confused glance at it, poked it once, and then picked it up with her paw to examine it closer. "What _is _that? I don't remember having this…" She gave it a small sniff, but her expression changed to a mix between surprise and confusion. "That's a new smell to me…" Still staring at it oddly, she tucked it in her fluffy neck fur. "Well, it's kinda pretty, whatever it is. I guess I'll keep it." She sighed a tiny sigh, setting her eyes on the rough rows of rock sculptures. "Well, I guess I'd better start seeing if I can find anything." With that, she started walking, following anything that looked human-made. As Evelyn started to leave his line of sight, Pikachu tried moving, and found that he could. So, crouching back onto all fours, Pikachu sprinted to keep up with Evelyn, quite curious to know more about her situation._

* * *

_Throughout his game of keep-up, Pikachu became increasingly grateful that he wasn't really there; Evelyn was intensely exposed to the burning sun, the dry, arid wind continuously blew massive clouds of dust into her eyes, and the shifting sand dunes brutally assaulted and tarnished her fine, silver fur. And it never helped that there was so much hot, fluffy fur._

"_Ugh," Evelyn sighed in exhaustion, her tongue sticking out from thirst. "I'm thirsty, and tired, and HOT!" Gritting her teeth and giving up her trek, she let herself collapse right on her stomach, not even caring how much of her coat was becoming mangled by the scorching desert sand. "Ohh, I give up! I don't know what's out here, and I don't know where I am, or even whether I'm alone or not! I don't know what I'm gonna do…" If she had had any strength left, she probably would have cried. Pikachu felt so sorry for the poor, little thing. His heart went right out to her. Not caring that he wasn't actually in that place, he wanted to do something, anything to help her. However, when he heard human footsteps approaching, he instinctively broke his focus on Evelyn to see the human that was approaching, and as the human entered his sight, he could swear that his jaw dropped all the way down to the sandy ground and that his eyes grew as wide as tires on a car._

Y-YUGI?! _He thought in disbelief. Indeed, the person walking up to the fallen Eevee looked like Yugi in almost every way; except for the strange clothes he was wearing, most notably the gold accessories, the dark color if his skin, and, of course, the stern, steely shape of his eyes. Interestingly enough, this boy was also wearing the Millennium Puzzle around his neck. The boy that resembled Yugi stopped right in front of Evelyn and gently knelt down to her._

"_Hey, are you alright?" he asked in Yugi's exact voice. Pikachu realized that his eyes made him look more like Yami Yugi than the real Yugi. Evelyn weakly lifted her head up to see who was talking to her, but could barely see, as her vision was going blurry from the heat. Desperate to get help, she tried to talk, but could hardly make a clear sound from her parched throat. _

"_W… water…" she managed to croak out. Quickly understanding, the boy pulled out an old-style canteen-like tool, opened it up, and held it up to her. Without objection, Evelyn hurriedly drank up every bit of it, then took a long, relieved sigh. "Thank you." She finally glanced up to see the human. She could see that he was giving her a kind smile, and smiled back up at him. _

"_Who are you?" the boy asked._

"_Oh! Um…" Evelyn remembered that neither of them had introduced themselves, and thought of how she should begin. "My name is Evelyn, my race is Eevee of the species Pokémon, and I am shiny." With that remark, she wagged her little tail and laughed. The boy wore a confused expression for a moment, but kept smiling. _

"_Well, I don't know what a 'Pokémon' is," he began. "But I don't think you're a creature of darkness." Very gently, he picked Evelyn up and brushed a bit of the sand out of her fur. As he did, the charm Evelyn had found earlier slipped out of her mane and into the boy's hand. The boy took a closer look at it, then said, "I have something just like that." Evelyn looked at the puzzle on his neck, then back at him with a vague expression on her face._

"_Yeah, I can see that," she said flatly, pointing a paw at the puzzle._

"_No, not like that…" he murmured. Giving the charm back to Evelyn, which she took in her mouth, he briefly held her in one hand and shortly after pulled out another charm; exactly like the one Evelyn found, except this one was seemingly a bracelet._

"_Ooh!" Evelyn looked at it curiously. "Does that mean that you know what these are?" _

"_Well, no," the boy admitted. "I just happened to find it somewhere."_

"_Oh," Evelyn nodded. "So did I. I wonder what they are…"_

"_Yeah, me too…" the boy sighed. Suddenly, as if she had a delayed reaction, she noticed all at once how uncomfortable the sand in her fur was. She made an odd face and started twitching uncomfortably. The boy started laughing good-naturedly, and shifted Evelyn up with both hands to make sure he wouldn't drop her. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up." Evelyn smiled the best she could in her uncomfortable position, which resulted in a slightly funny expression. As the boy began to leave, Pikachu snapped out of his stupor and ran after them._

* * *

_The boy brought Evelyn to an enormous river that he said was called the 'Nile', and let her wash herself off in a shallow bank. Once all the sand had been rinsed out of her fur, she jumped onto the shore, and shook her fur dry right next to the boy. He laughed playfully as the splash hit him, holding up one of his hands as a makeshift shield to the watery assault. However, when she stopped shaking, her fur poofed and made her look twice as big as before. Staring for a moment, the boy sniggered, and then snickered, and finally burst out laughing. Evelyn couldn't help laughing as well after seeing her reflection in the water. With a second shake, she got her fur to settle down, but didn't stop laughing. Despite knowing hardly anything about the situation playing out, Pikachu smiled at watching innocent children play._

"_Thanks for taking me here!" Evelyn thanked, resting her head and front paws on the boy's leg. The boy smiled again, gently petting her on the head._

"_It's alright; I didn't mind helping you," he said. "By the way, my name is—"_

"_There you are!" a new voice interrupted; the voice of a young girl. Evelyn moved her head off of the boy's leg and ducked behind him in case of danger, and Pikachu tore his gaze from the heartwarming scene to see who was talking. There were two people approaching; one was a young girl, presumably the person who had called, and a male teenager who looked a little older than the boy._

Have I seen him before? _Pikachu thought confusedly. _Wait; the Dark Magician! _Indeed, the teenager standing alongside the girl was the spitting image of the Dark Magician's character; the only difference he noticed was the clothing this person was wearing, besides the obvious difference in age. _This is getting weirder by the second… But who's the girl?

"_Where have you been?" the girl demanded, running up to the boy. "We were looking all over for you!" She had a scolding expression on her face, acting as if she was older than him. _

"_Mana…" the teen sighed with a tired expression pointed at her. He met the boy's gaze. "Although, I agree that you _had _worried us quite a bit." The boy still wore a playful smile, though now it was drawn on an apologetic expression._

"_Sorry," he consented. "But you both know I'm not helpless."_

"_True," the teenager admitted. "However, the young prince should not be on his own, especially with the recent creature sightings…"_

"_I'm alright, Mahad…" the boy said flatly, unamused by the teen's overprotectiveness. But, although Evelyn had been there the whole time, she had chosen that moment to reveal herself._

"_Um… Hello…" she greeted nervously, peeking out from behind the boy. Both Mahad and Mana blinked in surprise for a second; not only from the surprise of seeing such a strange creature, but also from the surprise that the creature spoke their language._

"_Um…" the boy started to speak to end the awkward pause. "Evelyn, these are my friends, Mana and Mahad. Mana and Mahad, this is Evelyn." He carefully stood up while holding her again, letting the two get a better look at her._

"_Aww! She's so cute!" Mana cooed with a wide smile in a typical manner for her sort of personality, taking Evelyn out of the boy's arms. Evelyn returned the smile and wagged her tail cutely. Finding her adorable, Mana started hugging her, but, luckily, wasn't holding her too tight._

"_Where do you come from?" Mahad inquired._

"_Um…" Evelyn hesitated, carefully thinking how she should answer. "I… come from the Seikatsu Forest in the Pokémon World…"_

Seikatsu? _Pikachu thought. _I think that means… life? ***1** Is that the name of that forest? The one near Pallet Town…?

"_Uh…" Mana stopped hugging Evelyn and pulled her away for a second to look at her oddly. "What does that mean?"_

"_Pokémon World?" Mahad repeated, unfamiliar with the term._

"_Um… yes," Evelyn said, feeling the slightest bit uncomfortable with the sudden shift in attitude. "I… was brought here by the Divine Being… He said something about me being needed… and… I think two of my friends might be here with me… but I don't know for sure… Back in my world, there are tons of creatures like me. But… I guess this is pretty confusing to you…"_

"_Not really…" Mana confessed. "Strange things have been happening lately…"_

"_Oh… okay," Evelyn accepted the answer. But then, she had a confused expression. "Wait a minute…" She turned her head behind her as far as she could to face the boy. "DID HE JUST CALL YOU A PRINCE?!" Everyone, including Pikachu, was stunned by the sudden change in volume in Evelyn's voice. The boy blinked a few times, recovering from the surprise, before responding._

"_Well… yes," he admitted, quite reluctantly. "But you don't have to call me that…"_

"_Whoa… an actual prince…" Evelyn marveled. She shook her head to snap herself out of it. "But, if you don't want to be called prince, then what do you want to be called?"_

"_Well, I would prefer being called by my name…" he sighed. _

"_Which is…?" Evelyn asked, still lacking this information. _

"_It's—" _

"_I found them!" a new voice called out, cutting off the boy's introduction once again. This time, it was the voice of an adult male, and his voice was followed by the plodding of hoof beats. It wasn't long before the owner of the voice came in sight, riding a creature that, to Pikachu, sort of resembled a Ponyta or a Rapidash, but without the flaming manes and tails. Behind him was another man riding the same creature. The boy, suddenly panicking, took Evelyn back into his arms, and hastily stuffed her into a sack he had been carrying, despite her muffled protests. The two men surrounded the children, both eyeing the boy with unamused looks. He smiled sheepishly._

…

"_I didn't mean to worry anyone…" the boy kept sighing as the men, who were apparently palace guards sent to find him, practically dragged him back with them. Mana and Mahad silently followed closely behind, not wanting to question the guards. The boy pouted the whole time he was dragged. _***2**_ Evelyn, who was still in the sack, was thoroughly confused as to why she was stuffed in there. Getting bored, and hot, she wiggled out of the sack while no one was looking. Pikachu wasn't sure where she was going, but wasn't worried, because she was sneaking toward a human village, and based on the humans he'd seen so far, he didn't think that Evelyn was in any danger. And in any case, he was now a little more interested in what would happen to the boy next._

* * *

_By this time, Pikachu had followed the boy to a large palace, which was presumably his home, where he parted ways with Mana and Mahad. Pikachu had become quite bored somewhere along the lines, despite all the new things surrounding him. In fact, he was getting quite tired of the lack of action, and was really hoping Evelyn would come back into the picture soon. It wasn't that he didn't like the vision when Pokémon weren't in it; it was more that the entire day had played out before him; without much action. He had even wandered off and explored the palace when he was sure nothing was happening. In five words: Not much to look at. It was currently night, and the boy was lying in a bed in what seemed to be his room. He looked incredibly bored and tired. He seemed to be having a night where one tries to sleep, but can't nod off. Pikachu was considering startling himself awake by jumping out the window or something so he could be freed from this boredom, but as if on cue, Evelyn popped in through the window._

"_Hello!" she greeted, leaping onto the bed._

"_You're back," the boy said in delight. "I thought you had left." Evelyn smiled._

"_Nope," she replied, wagging her tail. "I just took a tour of your village. All those people are really nice!" She seemed quite happy with the place she had found; she had the look a Pokémon has when they want to stay in a place. "So, what did I miss with you?" The boy sighed._

"_Well, my father told me not to wander away again…" he answered, sounding bored again._

"_I take it your father's the king?" Evelyn asked. The boy nodded. She thought for a moment. "So, where's—" She stopped herself. She had been about to ask, 'where's your mother?', but suddenly decided against it. "Um…" She shook her head. "Never mind." She relaxed for a moment, rolling onto her back, and there was silence._

"_You said that some friends of yours might have come with you?" the boy asked._

"_Mm-hmm!" Evelyn nodded. "Their names are Uchu and Rizku. They're really nice! I hope that they _did _fall through, so you'd get to meet them!" They both shared a chuckle at that._

"_So…" the boy asked after a moment's pause. "Do you have a place to stay?" Evelyn thought hard for a moment._

"_Nope," she replied, her happiness faltering. "I guess not…"_

"_Well…" the boy began hesitantly. "I told my father about you… and he said that… if you want… you're free to stay here in the palace…"_

"_Really?" Evelyn asked. The boy nodded. She got back onto her feet. "Yes! I really like it here! And you're a really nice human!" The boy smiled, happy she had accepted his offer._

"_I'm glad," he said, giving her a gentle stroke on the ears. She settled back down, ready for sleep. However, the boy still couldn't seem to nod off._

"_Can't sleep?" Evelyn asked._

"_No…" the boy groaned. Evelyn thought for a moment._

"_Hey," she said. "While I was exploring the village, I happened to meet someone who said he was from out of country, and he taught me this really pretty song."_

"_He did?" the boy asked._

"_Yeah," she replied. "I don't know what the words mean, but they're really pretty. Could I maybe sing it?"_

"_Sure, why not?" the boy shrugged. Evelyn smiled, took a deep breath, and started to sing. Her voice was almost like a mother's voice; soft, sweet, and melodious._

_Spi mladyenets, moi prekrasny_

_Bayushki-bayu_

_Tikho smotrit mesyats yasnyy _

_V kolybel tvoyu_

_Stanu skazyvat' ya skazki_

_Pesenku spoyu,_

_Ty zh dremli, zakryvshi glazki,_

_Bayushki-bayu, Bayushki-bayu_

_Bogatyr' ty budesh' s vidu_

_I kazak dushoy._

_Provozhat' tebya ya vyydu_

_Ty makhnesh rukoy, Ty makhnesh rukoy…_

_Skol'ko gor'kikh slez ukradkoy_

_Ya v tu noch' prol'yu!..._

_Spi, moy angel, tikho, sladko,_

_Bayushki-bayu, Bayushki-bayu._

_Stanu ya toskoy tomit'sya,_

_Bezuteshno zhdat',_

_Stanu tselyy den' molit'sya,_

_Po nocham gadat, Po nocham gadat,_

_Stanu dumat', chto skuchaesh'_

_Ty v chuzhom krayu…_

_Spi zh, poka zabot ne znaesh',_

_Bayushki-bayu, Bayushki-bayu._

_Dam tebe ya na dorogu_

_Obrazok svyatoy:_

_Ty ego, molyasya bogu,_

_Stav' pered soboy, Stav' pered soboy,_

_Da, gotovyas' v boy opasnyy,_

_Pomni mat' svoyu…_

_Spi, mladenets moy prekrasnyy,_

_Bayushki-bayu, Bayushki-bayu _***3**

_The boy was now incredibly relaxed, and seemed able to sleep. Evelyn herself seemed surprised by her vocal skills, and was ready to sleep. Pikachu was amazed, and no longer bored. He expected the vision to end soon. But before either of them fell asleep, Evelyn poked the boy's leg._

"_I still didn't get your name," she reminded._

"_Oh, that's right," the boy remembered groggily. "It's—"_

* * *

**Oh, come on!**

* * *

**End of Vision**

Pikachu woke up, slightly frustrated that he didn't learn the boy's name. As an aside, when he woke up, he had accidentally hit his head on the frame of Yugi's bed, bringing a slight portion of the previous night's headache back to him.

"GOOD MORNING!" the familiar cheery voice of Pichu called. Pikachu opened his eyes and saw his best friends in front of him, who seemed to have been waiting patiently for him to wake up. Well, Eevee and Riolu were waiting patiently, while Pichu was almost literally bouncing off the walls. Pikachu tried to smile at his friends, but had to fake it. He glanced over at the wall clock. It was nearly 11 A.M. Pikachu wondered if Yugi had gone to school already.

"Yugi didn't want to wake you up, since he was worried about your headache, so he let you sleep in," Riolu explained, reading his mind. "Besides, he figured, after last night, that you wouldn't want to spend the entire day hiding in the bushes."

"Sure was nice of him to let us all sleep here for the night," Eevee recounted.

"Ah," Pikachu nodded simply. Pichu, energetic as ever, bounced over to his brother, landed on Pikachu's head, and got up in his face.

"Did you know you were tossing and turning last night?" he asked innocently.

"No, I didn't," Pikachu answered simply. "I was just having a dream."

"What kinda dream?" Pichu inquired, leaning closer to his face in curiosity. Riolu gently took Pichu off of Pikachu's head and let him crawl up on his own head, not wanting him to get too nosy. "Hey, hey, is all that stuff you told us you saw last night really true?" Pikachu nodded again. "Hey, I didn't stay here last night, remember? Joey let me stay with him."

"Did his father know you were there?" Pikachu asked.

"Nuh-uh," Pichu shook his head. "He thought I was a fury paperweight; didn't even notice me!"

"That's good… I guess," Eevee said awkwardly, unsure how Pichu would have been able to convince someone he was a paperweight; the baby Pokémon who was unable to go two seconds without moving.

"Uh-huh!" Pichu nodded excitedly. "Although, he was all shouty at Joey, and he had the hiccups the whole time I was there. Is there a cure for that?" The rest of them blinked.

"Uh…" Riolu tensed, slightly worried all of a sudden. "Out of curiosity, were there a lot of empty bottles in the apartment?"

"Yeah, why?" Pichu asked as he tilted his head in confusion. "There was also one on the floor that was only half-empty, but I didn't have any of whatever was in there; it smelled funny!" ***4 **Pichu held his nose closed at the memory of the strange liquid.

"Oh, that's good…" Pikachu sighed.

"Anyway," Riolu changed the subject. "Back to the matter at hand?"

"Yeah," Pikachu agreed. "Okay." The four of them settled down, ready to discuss their new plan. Pichu, however, seemed to be taking the situation lightly, as usual.

"So," Riolu began. "We all understand the gravity of the current situation… more or less."

"Kind of," Eevee remarked.

"Sort of," Pikachu added on.

"Not really," Pichu shook his head.

"Well, regardless," Riolu continued. "It's probably safe to guess that they're all going to accept Pegasus' challenge, even though they don't know where he is, right?" They all nodded in agreement. Riolu focused on Pikachu. "So, what are _we _going to do?"

"…We're going with them, wherever they're going," Pikachu announced after a moment's pause. "And we're going to help them, whatever way we can. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Riolu smiled.

"Agreed," Eevee nodded.

"AGREED!" Pichu agreed just a bit too enthusiastically.

"Alright, then it's settled. Let's find out where we're going and work out a plan after that," Pikachu planned. His ears drooped a little. "After all, what he must be feeling right now… we've got to help him fix this."

* * *

**Domino High Rooftop, Evening**

The empty school was chilled by a lonely breeze, completely abandoned, except for Yugi, who stood on the rooftop, staring blankly at the sky, which was painted with a beautiful sunset of pink, orange, and yellow, but to Yugi, it looked pale. He stood at the edge, his right hand resting on the chicken-wire fence as he thought to himself.

_How did I get into this mess? _He asked himself. _I can't believe that Grandpa's actually gone… One minute, he's right beside us, and the next, Pegasus shows up and uses some kind of weird magic to steal his soul away. But why? What could Pegasus possibly want with me? And could it have something to do with my Millennium Puzzle? Well, I'll get Grandpa back. I'll beat Pegasus at his own game… whatever that is._

* * *

**Joey's Apartment**

A strong gust of wind blew a stray tin can by Joey's bike, which was parked right outside the apartment building. Joey had just arrived back home, and had noticed a video tape had been delivered to the apartment.

"Wonder who this is from," he said to himself. Curious, he put the tape in the TV and played it. At first, static. Although it wasn't much different from the previous night's debacle, the face Joey was met with was the face of his little sister, a young girl with brown hair and green eyes, and the sweetest little smile on her face.

"_Hey there, big brother," _she greeted on the recording. _"How have you been? I really miss you." _Joey blinked, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"Serenity?" he asked himself, wanting to make sure that he wasn't hallucinating. Serenity laughed good-naturedly, a bright smile on her face.

"_I can't believe it's been 6 years since we've seen each other," _she recounted. _"I'll never forget the day mom took me to live with her." _Joey stared at the recording silently as he remembered the sad day that had been burned deep into his mind.

**Flashback**

"_Joey!" Serenity called out for her brother in tears as their mom took her away in a cab._

"_Serenity! Don't go!" Joey called back, trying to chase after the cab as it pulled away. He tried to hold in his tears, failing miserably as he watched his sister being taken away from him. "Wait!"_

"_Joey!"_** *5**

**End of Flashback**

"_I'm sending you this video just so you don't forget your little sister's face," _Serenity continued. _"It seems like I'm running out of time. I was hoping to see you once more before…" She paused, tears welling up in her eyes, her smile still present on her face. "Well, uh, you understand. Bye-bye, brother." _

"Run out of time?" Joey repeated, his eyes threatening to leak out tears. "It can't be."

"_So long. Take care, Joey," _Serenity said before the tape ended.

"Serenity…" Joey sighed through gritted teeth. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. It broke his heart just to think about it…

* * *

**Kame (*6) Game Shop, Dusk**

Yugi had practically trudged back to the game shop, hardly feeling anything at all. Pikachu, who had been waiting outside for him since he finished planning with his friends, had fallen asleep on the doormat several hours earlier. He awoke when his sensitive ears caught the sound of footsteps approaching. He had intended to greet Yugi with a comforting smile, but when he saw Yugi approaching with his eyes giving off an almost 'dead inside' look, he was caught by so much surprise that he nearly lost his smile. He knew that Yugi would be in a bad condition, but this was beyond what he had imagined. Riolu, who was just as taken aback as Pikachu, decided to take a quick peek into Yugi's mind, to see if he could solve this mystery. And when he found the answer, his surprise faded in an instant. ***7**

_You want to know what's going on? _Riolu asked his friends telepathically. _He's been putting on a brave face in public; not letting anyone see how much he's really hurting. And hiding that pain is difficult, so the longer you hide it, the worse it gets. So, he's in worse condition than he should be. I would suggest just acting friendly and innocent. _They nodded to each other in understanding.

"Hey, Yugi," Pikachu greeted, trying his best to sound normal. Yugi gave them a glance, but couldn't bring himself to say something back to them. Pikachu decided the best thing to do was keep up the act, at least until they knew more about their situation. Yugi reached for the handle to the door, but stopped when he noticed an envelope tucked between the closed door and the wall.

"Huh? What's this?" Yugi wondered as he took the envelope.

"Wait, how long has that been there?" Riolu thought aloud.

"Since last night," Pichu answered. For fun, he decided to climb on the door handle and start swinging on it. Riolu looked at him with his usual expression towards him; unamused.

"You knew that was there and didn't tell us?" Riolu inquired flatly.

"No," Pichu replied innocently, hanging upside-down from the door handle. "Nobody else noticed it, so I figured it wasn't important, and so I pretended that I didn't notice it, too!" Riolu sighed, used to the crazy. Noticing that Pichu was about to fall off the handle from swinging on it, either that or break it, he took Pichu off the handle and let him get on his usual resting place; atop his head.

"What's inside?" Eevee asked Yugi, not wanting her friends to argue. Yugi curiously opened the envelope, his pain momentarily forgotten. Inside seemed to be five Duel Monsters cards. Pikachu remembered the glove and stars that had also been in the package along with the video tape. He wondered if those were somehow connected to the cards…

"It's from Pegasus!" Yugi gasped, reaching into the envelope to take a closer look at one of the cards. Pichu, with his curiosity taking over once again, hopped off of Riolu's head and onto Yugi's shoulder to get a closer look.

"It's a pretty castle!" Pichu noted, only interested in the card art.

"Aside from that…" Riolu began, sighing as he used his telekinesis to place Pichu back on his head so he wouldn't be a bother to anyone. "What is it?"

"It's an invitation to the tournament at Duelist Kingdom," Yugi explained, receiving several small gasps of surprise. Pichu, forgetting where he had first heard that piece of information, made his 'thinking very hard' face.

"Hmm…" he hummed while he wracked his brain. "Now, _where _did we hear dat before…?" Riolu sighed quietly to himself again as he gently massaged the bridge of his nose.

"Pichu… he announced that on the television last night, remember…?" Riolu reminded him as gently as he could in his growing irritation.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot," Pichu said with a sheepish smile while rubbing the back of his head on embarrassment. "I-I mean… I knew that!"

* * *

**Domino High School, Next Day**

"A tournament at Duelist Kingdom? Isn't that an island?" Téa asked Yugi as she, Tristan, and Joey all carefully viewed the cards Yugi was showing them. The Pokémon curiously waited outside, wanting to know more, as they were finally getting the information they wanted. Of course, when they had asked to tag along to the school, especially after they had been avoiding being out in the open for several weeks, Yugi started to catch on to a tiny bit of their plan. He didn't figure out exactly _what _they were planning, but he could just tell they were planning something. He told them to be very careful to lay as low as they could, because there was still a good chance that people had seen them during his duel with Kaiba. The truth, of course, was that in the possibility that they were planning to follow him into danger, he wanted them to keep out of a problem that had nothing to do with them, in his opinion. The Pokémon easily knew what he was trying to say, but still wanted to go through with their plan. Unbeknownst to the humans, Pichu was right outside the window, listening to them talk, trying his very hardest to remember as much as he could so he could give his brother and friends the right amount of information.

"So, that's where Pegasus is keeping your grandpa?" Joey asked.

"Maybe," Yugi answered, unsure but willing to try. "The only way to know for sure is to become a contestant. The boat's going to be leaving in two days." The particular card he was holding was a picture of a large wooden ship in the midst of the sea beneath the moonlight.

"But you can't go," Téa tried to convince him, worried for his safety. "It could be dangerous."

"I _have _to go," Yugi said, determination brimming in his voice. "It's the only clue I have for rescuing Grandpa."

"I still can't believe it," Tristan noted. "Pegasus used some kind of weird spell to grab your grandpa's soul away. And now he's toying with you, forcing you to duel in the tournament."

"Right, and without invitations, we can't even go there with you," Joey reminded. "I wish we could help you, pal."

"This is bad," Téa muttered.

"Huh? Hey, Yugi…" Tristan began, noticing something about one of the cards. The one he was looking at had an illustration of a large pile of gold coins, jewels, and several other expensive things. "Check _this _out. According to this card, the tournament winner takes the grand prize of $3 million!"

"3 mil?" Joey repeated quietly.

"So what, Tristan?" Yugi responded. "Who cares about money at a time like this?"

"Hey, give me that!" Joey interrupted, taking the card out of Tristan's hand. "Ahh. 3 million."

"Guess Joey does…" Yugi answered his own rhetorical question confusedly.

"3 million in cold cash," Joey said again under his breath. Meanwhile, right outside the window, Pichu, who was satisfied with the answers he had gotten, started carefully climbing back down to the ground to relay the information he had gotten to his friends. He slid down the drainpipe to get down faster, and have more fun. Of course, near the end, he almost fell off, and if Riolu hadn't seen and caught him in time, he probably would have broken his nose.

"Hello!" he greeted cheerfully.

"So, what did you find out?" Riolu asked, putting Pichu down.

"Oh, right, okay," Pichu nodded, remembering why he had gone all the way to the top of the building. He took a deep breath as he tried his best to remember as much critical information as he could. As soon as he opened his mouth, he forgot what he had been about to say, and ended up making an odd face. "Uhhh…"

"You know what? Stop," Riolu interrupted, holding up his paw. The Aura Sensors on the sides of his head started glowing and levitating just a little bit. "Just let me look into your recent memories, and I'll hopefully be able to retrieve the information we need." He closed his eyes in concentration, trying hard to find the right facts. He could vaguely be heard humming a single long note quietly, most likely involuntarily. After seven seconds passed, Riolu opened his eyes, and his Sensors returned to normal. "Alright, got it. They're leaving in two days. I think that, because they know where to go anyway, we just sneak with them when it's time to go. The only question is _how _we sneak without them noticing us."

"I guess we could always hide in their bags…" Pikachu suggested feebly, not quite comfortable with the idea of sneaking around unbeknownst to their friends.

"That'll work," Riolu nodded. "Now, to make sure they don't find out what we're up to, when Yugi comes out, we're going to act like we still don't know what's going on, so we'll have to act curious about the cards in order to pull this off."

"Alright…" Pikachu reluctantly nodded, still sick to the stomach at the idea of going behind a friend's back.

* * *

**Domino High Rooftop, Sunset**

Joey sat back against the wall, staring thoughtfully at the sky. Just like the previous day, the evening sky was blessed with another beautiful sunset, the many gigantic clouds surrounding the slowly sinking sun, their fluffy bodies being reflected with many different shades of colors; ranging from the palest pink to the deepest purple. But being so deep in thought, Joey hardly noticed the sunset. Pichu sat on top of his head, trying his very best to 'act casual', but easily getting ready to fall asleep.

"Joey, what are you doing up here?" Yugi asked as he approached his friend, with Pikachu following up behind him.

"Hmm?" Joey hummed, just taking notice of Yugi's presence.

"What's with you?" Yugi asked straight out, curious in his friend's recent odd behavior.

"Ah, nothin'," Joey replied, looking back at the sunset. "I'm just thinkin' about a whole lot of stuff. Yugi, you do know that I care about your gramps, right? I mean, he taught me about the Heart of the Cards."

"Of course I know," Yugi said honestly.

"I mean it!" Joey said spiritedly. "One way or another, I'll help you beat Pegasus." Yugi nodded in understanding.

"That really means a lot to me, Joey," Yugi said as he sat down next to his friend. "I'm glad we're friends."

"Remember the first time we met?" Joey asked.

"I'll never forget it," Yugi answered, glancing down at his cherished pendant. "It was all because of the Millennium Puzzle."

* * *

**Flashback**

"The way Grandpa explained it to me, the puzzle was originally found in some Egyptian ruins," Yugi began recounting. "My grandpa gave it to me and kind of dared me to solve it. It was the most incredible thing I'd ever seen. As soon as I touched it, I knew it was special. I made a wish on the Puzzle. I asked it to give me a real friend, and I think the Puzzle came through for me. That was when I met up with you and Tristan, although you sure didn't act like my friends at first."

"Ha! You mean when we were playing keep-away with the Millennium Puzzle?" Joey asked. "It was for you, man. We just wanted to toughen you up so you could stand up to the real bullies. We were only teasing you."

"Teasing?" Yugi repeated, not agreeing with Joey's choice of word. "You took a piece of the Millennium Puzzle and threw it out the window! And I was the one that tried to help you guys out when that bully picked on you."

"He was a mean one, alright," Joey agreed, remembering said bully. ***8**

"_What do we do?" Tristan whispered to Joey, both lying on the floor, beaten and bruised._

"_Shh!" Joey shushed him, out of ideas and scared of what was about to come._

"_Well, look what just showed up," the bully said, glancing behind him. "It's little Yugi, just in time to watch me mop the floor with these guys."_

"_Get back! Leave them alone!" Yugi shouted at the bully, horrified at what he had done._

"_Who's gonna stop me?" the bully demanded. "A little shrimp like you? I don't think so. Get lost."_

"_I won't let you," Yugi responded, putting himself in front of Tristan and Joey in order to block the bully's path. "These guys are my friends." Joey weakly lifted his head up, trying to figure out how Yugi could possibly see him and Tristan as friends after all they had done to him. Yugi stood firm, not about to back down, even as the bully let out a sinister laugh._

"_Okay, tough guy," the bully chuckled. "You jumped to the head of the line! Say your prayers, you runt." And with that, the bully began to beat Yugi the same way he had beaten Joey and Tristan; punching him and kicking him as hard as he could in various places, not letting up for even a second. Yugi exclaimed in pain every time he was hit, and when the bully finally stopped beating him, he let himself fall to the floor, incredibly weak after the ordeal._

"You stood up for us, Yugi," Joey continued. "I'll never forget that. Because of you, we got that moron expelled. And Tristan and I learned what it was like to have a true friend."

"Well, at least you retrieved the lost Puzzle piece," Yugi smiled. "If you hadn't done that, I could never have solved the Millennium Puzzle."

"_I want to apologize, Yugi," Joey had said the next day. "I've been acting like a real jerk."_

"_Oh, were you acting?" Yugi asked jokingly. Joey couldn't help but laugh._

"_I guess I deserved that one," he admitted. "If you ask me, I think Tristan and I may have underestimated you."_

"_Huh?" Yugi blinked, not quite understanding where Joey was going with this._

"_You know, Yugi," Joey continued. "You're a tougher kid than I ever gave you credit for. Maybe we should hang out more often. What do you say?" Yugi simply nodded, with a happy smile on his face._

* * *

**End of Flashback**

"That's cool!" Pichu shouted excitedly, having woken up from his nap when he was interested in the story.

"The truth of the matter is you're the best friend I've ever had," Joey said sincerely. Pikachu smiled at the clear strength of the bond these two had.

"Yeah," Yugi agreed, thinking the same of Joey. Yugi's smiled disappeared as his gaze drifted downward. "It's too bad you can't go with me to rescue Grandpa."

"Don't worry," Joey assured, determined to keep his word. "Somehow, some way, I promise, we'll do it together."

"Together?" Yugi perked up at the prospect of having his friend there with him.

"Heh, you bet," Joey replied matter-of-factly. "We're a team, Yugi."

"But how can you go without an invitation?" Yugi wondered.

"Hmm…" Joey hummed to himself, thinking just how he would answer that question.

* * *

**Two Days Later, Domino Pier**

A foghorn blast echoed throughout the harbor, the noise making it clear that it was early night. A particularly large ship waited at the dock. Many people were gathered up around it, each one a duelist who was invited to Duelist Kingdom. Among the crowd was Yugi, who was as ready as he could be for what was about to come. Before he had left, he had, of course, said goodbye to the Pokémon and told them to be careful while he was gone, presumably leaving them at the Game Shop.

"Attention, all duelists," one employee from the ship called out. "Welcome to this event sponsored by Industrial Illusions. You received with your invitation the Star Chips that will grant you entry into the contest. You are all elite, invited by us after close observation of your past Duel Monsters contests. You each have a fair and equal chance to win. It all comes down to how well you've chosen your cards, and how well you play. Now then, duelists, cross the ocean, and enter the Duelist Kingdom!" One by one, each duelist went up to board the ship, each having to show the Star Chips they received along with the invitations in order to pass.

"Hey, you! Get out of here!" one of the security guards shouted. "Only official contestants are allowed on board!" Yugi turned to see Joey being dragged away by two security guards.

"How do you know I'm not official?" Joey defended, trying to get free.

"Because the official duelists aren't trying to sneak on board through the lower hatches," the security guard countered.

"Joey, what the—" Yugi didn't even bother to finish his question as he ran to catch up with the guards and Joey.

"Stop your struggling," the guard tried to get Joey to stop fighting them. "We're gonna have to throw you out."

"No way!" Joey cried defiantly. "I came here to duel, and I'm gonna duel!"

"Leave him alone!" Yugi bravely told the guards.

"Hey, Yugi!" Joey greeted, happy to see him.

"Joey," Yugi started, confused beyond belief of what was happening. "What are you doing here, Joey?"

"Did you really think I'd let you do this on your own?" Joey laughed. "Come on, help me out." Yugi smiled, grateful his friend had been true to his word.

Meanwhile, a good distance away from the duelists, as the people at the harbor loaded large crates onto the ship, Tristan and Téa hid behind one crate, ready to sneak onboard.

"They're distracted," Téa noticed. "Let's go."

"Right," Tristan agreed. Just then, they were joined by a sneaking Riolu and Eevee. "Huh?" They noticed them right away.

"What are you guys doing here?" Téa asked.

"Coming with you," Eevee answered with a smile.

"Maybe we can't be much help, but we also can't sit by while our new friends put themselves in danger," Riolu explained. Smiling, everyone finally began to sneak onto the ship. Back with Yugi and Joey, Yugi was trying hard to convince the guards to let Joey onboard.

"He's with me," Yugi reasoned. "You gotta let him on."

"Only people with a Star Chip can get on board," the guard explained. "There are no exceptions. Understand?"

"But Joey has a Star Chip," Yugi countered with a smile. "Didn't he tell you?"

"I do?" Joey asked, completely dumbfounded.

"See?" Yugi insisted, holding out his hand in front of Joey. Still confused, Joey held out his own hand, in which Yugi placed one of his two Star Chips.

"What's this?" Joey asked, still not quite catching on.

"According to this card, a Star Chip's proof that one is a duelist," Yugi explained, holding up said card.

"That may be, but all participants are given two Star Chips. You'll be at a disadvantage," the guard warned.

"Maybe, but I'd rather take that risk than be without my friend when we get to the Duelist Kingdom," Yugi stood firm, his decision final. "I need him."

"Yugi…" Joey whispered, not believing how willingly Yugi had been wanting him to come along.

"What do we do?" guard one asked the other, who was dialing a number on his phone.

"Mr. Pegasus, we've got a problem, sir," he explained. Meanwhile, back with Tristan, Téa, and the two Pokémon, everyone was having a little trouble keeping their balance as the ship was preparing to leave the harbor.

"Whoa!" Téa shouted as she nearly fell backwards.

"Shh!" Tristan shushed warningly, worried they would get caught.

"Don't you shush me, Tristan," Téa retorted.

"This is getting uncomfortable…" Eevee groaned as she and Riolu were clinging onto miscellaneous boxes.

"Well, hopefully, it'll be smoother once the boat gets moving," Riolu reasoned. _I really hope Pikachu and Pichu are more comfortable…_

"Pipe down," Tristan reminded them. At last, with the foghorns sounding, the ship started to leave the docks, heading out into ocean to take to duelists (and stowaways) to the Duelist Kingdom. Back with Yugi and Joey, the guards had ultimately decided to let Joey get on board with Yugi, which the two of them couldn't have been happier about.

"I'm glad they let you on board, Joey," Yugi said sincerely.

"Only because you sacrificed one of your Star Chips for me," Joey reminded. As he was talking, one contestant, a young woman with blond hair walked through the crowds, listening to them. "But if any of the other players find out we only have one Star Chip each, they could really try to take advantage of us."

"Then be quiet about it," Yugi said flatly.

"YEAH, LOUDMOUTH!" came a muffled shout from inside Yugi's backpack, startling them both. Warily, Yugi took the pack off and slowly unzipped the zipper, and out popped Pichu, who took deep breaths before he started talking. "Thanks. It was gettin' stuffy in there."

"Pichu!" Yugi cried out surprised.

"What are you doing in there?" Joey asked.

"Dat's an easy one!" Pichu exclaimed, standing on the railing on his tiptoes. "We're comin' with you!"

"By hiding in my backpack?" Yugi asked incredulously.

"Yep! But dat wasn't _my _idea, nuh-uh!" Pichu began explaining as he shook his head. He jumped back on top of the backpack, and out came Pikachu, looking quite relieved to be out of such a cramped space. "Dat was all on dis guy!" He excitedly hopped onto his big brother's head. Pikachu looked up guiltily at Yugi and Joey.

"Sorry…" he apologized. "I know you didn't want us to come along, but we felt like we had to. And even though I'm not sure what kind of help we'll be able to offer, I just want to be able to say that we're here for you, if you need us." Yugi smiled and affectionately pet Pikachu on the head.

"Thanks for coming," Yugi thanked sincerely. "Is anyone else hiding in there?"

"Of course not!" Pichu cut in. "Not everybody could fit."

"Eevee and Riolu said they'd find another way on board," Pikachu explained. "Uh, do we have to go back in the backpack to stay out of sight? It's not very comfortable in there…"

"Well, I guess you can stay out, as long as you keep a low profile," Yugi reasoned.

"Got it," Pikachu nodded in understanding, carefully positioning himself onto the railing, making sure no one was seeing him.

"Yay! I call shotgun!" Pichu called cheerily.

"Shotgun on what?" Pikachu couldn't keep from asking.

"Shotgun on _dis_!" Pichu answered as he crawled up to rest on Joey's head. Getting in Joey's face, he decided to ask if it was okay. "Do you mind?"

"Nah, go ahead," Joey complied, happy to see the Pokémon as well. "Just as long as you don't shock me again, alright?"

"Okay!" Pichu heartily agreed.

"Kind of exciting, isn't it, Yugi?" Joey asked as the ship kept moving along.

"Yeah," Yugi agreed.

"Well, what do we have here?" interrupted a new voice. The boys turned to see who was talking to them, and found it was the girl who had secretly been listening to them talking about the Star Chips. The Pokémon instantly ducked behind their humans friends' backs so as not to be seen.

"Wow," Joey breathed, completely taken by the girl's beauty.

"So, you're the Yugi kid everybody's talking about, huh?" the girl asked, starting out with a friendly voice.

"Whoa-ho! Check it out!" Joey thought out loud, still ogling the girl's appearance.

"But I'm amazed that a squirt like you could beat Kaiba," the girl continued, seemingly ignoring Joey. "You're famous you know."

"Thanks very much, I think," Yugi replied nervously.

"Hey, miss, I'm a really good friend of the famous Yugi, the master duelist," Joey greeted, trying to see if he could use association to get a little attention. "In fact—"

"Look!" the girl cut him off. "You're either a champ or a chump. Cut this guy loose. He's fashion challenged and deserves to be crushed in the games." With that, she started walking away from them.

"Please, crush me," Joey said, hopelessly clueless.

"Psst, do you know what's makin' him act so weird?" Pichu whispered to his brother, clinging onto the back of Joey's coat. Pikachu, holding onto Yugi's backpack, shook his head. "Must be a human thing…"

"I'll crush you all, eventually," the girl stated, as if it was already a set fact. "The name's Mai." Meanwhile, Tristan, Téa, Eevee, and Riolu watched the whole affair, still hiding to make sure they weren't thrown off.

"How arrogant! There's nobody better at playing Duel Monsters than Yugi," Téa complained at Mai's rudeness. ***9**

"Shh. Quiet, they'll hear you," Tristan reminded.

"I don't think I've _ever _met a human who acts like that…" Riolu stated confusedly.

"I don't think we've seen the last of her, either," Eevee stated her thoughts.

"I don't care. He's still the best," Téa decided. Fairly soon, it was time for all the duelists to retire to the cabin rooms. The Pokémon had decided to stay hidden outside, so as not to be spotted by a duelist.

"I'm cold…" Pichu shivered as he and Pikachu hid behind a crate.

"Don't worry, we can do this," Pikachu encouraged, letting Pichu snuggle up to him. _I hope Yugi and Joey are more comfortable…_

"Hey, is this a joke or what?" Joey demanded upon seeing the room he and Yugi were supposed to stay in. "This is a luxury cruiser. I know you've got better rooms somewhere."

"You again?" the security guard asked as he tried to detain Joey. "We cut you a break, and now you're causing more trouble?"

"Do you _want _to get thrown out of here?" one of the duelists standing in the door asked.

"Huh? Hey, aren't you that kid Yugi?" another duelist asked. Yugi turned to see who was talking to him.

"Uh, yeah," Yugi answered. "And you're…"

"Weevil! And Rex, the Dino Duelist!" Joey finished for him.

"Heh, you're wasting your time with those guys," Rex scoffed. "The private rooms only go to finalists from the last championship, like us."

"Congratulations on winning the Regionals, Weevil," Yugi said politely.

"It was nothing," Weevil boasted.

"Yeah, I went easy on him that time," Rex bluffed, even though he had been clearly stomped, causing Weevil to give him a look.

"Yeah?" Joey challenged as he struggled free from the guards again. "Well, this time, Yugi and I are gonna take the tournament. Right, Yugi?"

"To tell you the truth, winning the last championship didn't feel like that much of an achievement," Weevil admitted. "I guess I can't really call myself the champion until I defeat the duelist who beat Kaiba. But I'm sure I'll end up battling you in the big tournament, Yugi. Frankly, I look forward to it."

"I look forward to it, too," Yugi replied sincerely.

"I'm looking forward to some Dino-Demolition," Rex cut in.

"Let me tell you a little secret," Weevil whispered to Yugi. "It's something none of the other players know about the games yet."

"Oh, isn't that cheating?" Yugi asked.

"The other duelists will find out soon enough, but there are new rules on the island that require more strategy," Weevil explained.

"Ah, rules are for wimps," Rex brushed the thought away. "In dueling, you either smash your opponent or get smashed yourself. It's one or the other."

"Strength is good," Joey complied. "But you also need to combine them with other types of cards."

"Who asked you?" Rex retorted. "Stay out of my way or I'll stomp you like everyone else." With that, he walked away, presumably to retire to his room.

"We'll who stomps who when we get to the island," Joey muttered angrily.

"Ignore him," Weevil suggested. "Let's scope out the competition."

"What do you mean?" Joey asked.

"Check out those chumps," Weevil started explaining, pointing to the duelists behind them. "They're already trading over there. Players here are swapping cards and strengthening their decks, getting ready for the big tournament. It's also a good chance to get a feel for your opponent's cards."

_Oh, I bet this is how Weevil gets so much insight into his opponent's strategy. _Yugi thought to himself. In an instant, Joey was with the other duelists, trying to trade with them.

"Whoa, strong cards," Joey noticed, quickly ready to trade. "Hey, wanna trade? How 'bout you? Anybody? Help me out, here!"

"Guess Joey's trading," Yugi thought out loud.

"If you've come all this way and you're still trying to improve your deck, you've got to be pretty desperate," Weevil noted. "I'll catch you on the flipside." With that, he left. Meanwhile, Rex was walking to his own room when he heard some sort of commotion.

"This is truly, truly outrageous," Mai's familiar voice complained. "You expect a lady like me to stay in this dump without even a shower?"

"Rules are rules, ma'am," the guard tried to reason. "There's nothing I can do."

"Call your superior," Mai demanded. "Get him on the phone right now."

"Keep acting up, and they'll throw you off the boat," Rex warned.

"Who do you think you are?" Mai questioned.

"A champion with a luxury room," Rex answered coaxingly, also completely captivated by Mai.

"Really? Could I see it?" Mai asked, feigning a delicate personality.

"You bet. Come check it out," Rex immediately agreed.

* * *

"Hey, Téa, stay down or we're busted," Tristan warned as Téa kept moving around.

"Yeah, be careful," Riolu stressed, getting a little tense from being on the ship.

"It's freezing out here. I can't sit still," Téa defended, shivering. Tristan chuckled a little, decided to make a little joke.

"In another few hours, the sun will rise," Tristan reminded.

"That's not funny, Tristan," Téa snapped at him, not in the mood for dumb jokes. Eevee, filled with kindness as she was, jumped into Téa's arms.

"Does this help?" Eevee asked as her fluffy fur seemed to be comforting.

"Yes," Téa smiled.

"Get down!" Tristan whispered urgently as he heard a door opening.

"Look. Isn't that Bakura?" Téa asked as she saw who came outside; a teenage boy with long, white hair.

"Bakura?" Tristan repeated. "You mean Bakura from school?"

"What do you think he's doing here?" Téa asked.

"Uh, I guess he's in the tournament," Tristan guessed.

* * *

"So, what do you think of my cool digs?" Rex asked Mai as she surveyed the room.

"It's beautiful," Mai complimented, still not yet showing her true colors. "You must be quite the strong card player."

"I am," Rex claimed, soaking up the 'praise'. Mai smiled; she had Rex wrapped around her finger already.

"Really?" Mai giggled. "I love Duel Monsters. How 'bout we play a game?"

"Ha! Who do you think you're talking to?" Rex scoffed. "There's no way you could beat me.

"Please?" Mai pleaded sweetly. "Let me try."

"You'd never win," Rex warned.

"Tell you what. If you win, I'll give you a kiss," Mai offered. Rex was ready to accept.

* * *

"Yugi, I got some good card trading in," Joey proclaimed as he looked over four his new cards while they were outside again.

"Hey, let me see 'em," Yugi asked. Joey complied, and Yugi began listing the cards from right to left. "Salamandra, and a Kunai with Chain, Baby Dragon, and Shield and Sword? Great! With these new Magic Cards, combined with your Monsters, you'll have a real strong deck." (Baby Dragon: Lvl. 3 Atk. 1200. Def. 700.)

"Alright! So now, I'm ready to win every duel I play," Joey said decidedly.

"I think you're going to find it's a bit harder than that, Joey," Yugi told his friend. "Here, add this to your deck." He handed Joey a Monster Card, the Time Wizard. (Lvl. 2 Atk. 500. Def. 400.)

"You're giving me the Time Wizard?" Joey asked in disbelief.

"It can be helpful in a tight spot," Yugi explained.

"Thanks. I'll take it," Joey thanked. "I can't get over how you're always helping me out.

"Hey, 'bout time you guys got out here!" Pichu's voice called out from underneath the table they were at. He and Pikachu poked their heads out from under the cloth. "It's gettin' cold out here!"

"Agreed," Pikachu shivered. His eyes widened as he noticed someone else approaching. "Get back down!" He grabbed Pichu and ducked back under the table.

"Ahh, we meet again," Weevil's voice called out.

"Oh, Weevil," Yugi turned around as he realized who was talking to him.

* * *

"Okay then, cut the cards," Mai said as she pushed her deck towards Rex.

"Playing with your deck, huh?" Rex asked rhetorically. He divided the deck into two piles and shuffled them as he prepared to draw the cards. _This'll be a snap. _"What if you win?"

"If I win, you agree to clear out of the room for the rest of the trip, okay?" Mai stated simply.

"Clear out?" Rex repeated. "I'm not gonna lose. You've got a deal." Mai smiled at Rex's overconfidence, then closed her eyes.

"The first card is Shadow of Eyes," Mai said cryptically. Rex drew the first card on the top, and saw that she was right.

"How'd you do that?" Rex asked in disbelief.

"The second card is Harpie Lady," Mai continued. (Harpie Lady: Lvl. 4. Atk. 1300. Def. 1400.) "Then Elegant Egotist, followed by Cyber Shield." Rex kept drawing the cards and saw Mai was right every time.

"Oh, no," Rex said to himself. "She's right again." Mai chuckled a little.

"This is my own card technique," Mai explained. "I always know what cards I have and can pick any one I like at any time. So, go ahead and deal 'em, Rex."

"I think I'm in trouble," Rex groaned to himself, smiling nervously.

* * *

"Ahh, the evening winds sure feel nice," Weevil sighed as he held onto the handrail. He turned around to face Yugi. "So, did you trade for any good cards, Yugi?"

"Nah," Yugi answered simply. "I'm gonna duel with the cards I brought along with me."

"I figured as much," Weevil admitted, a smirk growing on his face. "You used the Exodia cards in your duel with Kaiba, right? Those are the strongest cards of them all."

"And really rare," Yugi added.

"Could I possibly see those legendary cards?" Weevil requested, an admiring tome in his voice.

"Legendary?!" Pichu almost shouted too loud, reminded of the legendary Pokémon from back home.

"Shh!" Pikachu covered Pichu's mouth, busy thinking about how much he didn't like what was happening.

"I don't see why not," Yugi agreed. "Just be careful with them, okay?" He took the cards out of his deck box, unaware that the smirk on Weevil's face was growing. "Here." Weevil took the cards in his hands and looked them over thoroughly.

"So, these are the cards to summon Exodia," Weevil thought out loud. "For a long time, I've been trying to come up with some kind of strategy to finally beat these cards. But I couldn't come up with anything… until just this moment." With that, he began to walk back towards the edge of the ship, the cards still in his hand. Yugi was confused for a moment before he realized what was about to happen. "Say goodbye to Exodia!" Weevil threw the cards off the ship and into the ocean.

"No!" Yugi shouted as he ran up to the edge of the ship, too late to stop Weevil. With that, Weevil walked off laughing.

"Now there's no one who can challenge me," Weevil chuckled.

"Why, you—" Joey didn't even finish his insult on account of he had other things to worry about.

"My cards! Those were the Exodia cards that my Grandpa gave me!" Yugi lamented as he watched the cards start to get washed away by the waves.

"I'll get 'em!" Joey decided without another word as he dove into the water to retrieve the cards.

"Joey, don't!" Yugi called, but couldn't stop Joey as he disappeared in the water. "Joey, where are you?" Joey resurfaced as he started to search for the cards.

"I promise you. I'll get them, Yugi," Joey promised.

"Joey, they're not worth drowning over!" Yugi tried to reason.

"Don't worry, Yugi," Joey reassured as one of the cards came into his sight and he grabbed it. "There. I got one of them."

"Joey! Swim back to the ship!" Yugi desperately called.

"No way!" Joey answered, mostly to himself. "At least this time there's something I can do to help someone I care about." The current almost pulled him down. "Current sure is strong, though. It's hard to fight. But if I punk out now, who's gonna help my sister Serenity?" He thought about one of the reasons he tagged along with Yugi. Another card drifted into his sight. "Just three more now." A large wave washed over him.

"Joey!" Yugi called as he dove into the water to help Joey. Joey managed to get his head back out of the water. "Joey, hold on!" Yugi called as he swam over to Joey.

"Yugi, just three more," Joey panted before he sank again.

"Joey!" Yugi panicked a little before diving underwater to grab Joey's arm and held him up on the surface. For a moment, he was unsure of what he could do from there.

"Yugi!" Téa's voice called out to him from on the ship.

"Are you okay?" Tristan asked. They threw down one end of the rope ladder on the ship.

"Grab ahold!" Téa called.

"Hurry!" Tristan urged.

"Téa, Tristan!" Yugi called, happy to see them.

* * *

"Get out, loser!" Mai shouted as she threw Rex out of the room. She had beaten Rex. Which had been quite easy, as her apparent psychic abilities had freaked Rex out so much, that he lost his focus on the duel. "And thanks for the room, Rex."

* * *

"That was close," Yugi sighed in relief as he and Joey took a moment to catch their breaths back on the ship. "I'm sure glad you two guys showed up—really glad."

"We're a team," Téa assured. "We all stick together."

"We'll always watch your back," Tristan agreed.

"Yeah, no matter how freezy-cold it gets!" Pichu added on, resting on Riolu's head.

"Thanks a lot, you guys," Yugi said sincerely.

"I'm sorry, Yugi," Joey apologized. "I failed. I only found two of your cards." He held up the cards to Yugi.

"It's okay, Joey," Yugi reassured.

"It's not okay," Joey insisted. "It's always this way with me. I'm never able to help anybody, not even my own sister Serenity."

"Serenity?" Yugi repeated.

"Really? You have a sister, Joey?" Téa asked.

"Our parents divorced years ago when we were kids," Joey explained. "She lives far away with my mother. My sister's had really bad eyes since she was born. Eventually, she'll go blind."

"I'm sorry," Yugi said sympathetically.

"Thanks, Yuge," Joey thanked. "She sent me a message. The doctors told her that the time has come. Soon, her eyes will be impossible to repair, even with surgery. But there are specialists who could perform an operation now before it's too late. They could save her eyesight, but there's no way I can pay for the operation. I have to win for her. Winning in the Duelist Kingdom and getting the prize money is the only way I can help Serenity." After Joey explained his situation, the sun began to rise. The four friends, along with the Pokémon, watched the horizon at the front of the ship.

"We'll both do our best, Joey—you for your sister, and me for my Grandpa," Yugi assured.

"That's right," Téa agreed. "We'll do this together."

"Yay!" Pichu cheered.

"Look! The island!" Tristan noted.

"That's the Duelist Kingdom!" Yugi said. "That's it. We're almost there."

"We're gonna do it," Pikachu said, psyching himself up as if he were in a battle.

* * *

…_So far, so good…_

_**Yes, but I have to say, are you sure that placing the fate of this world in the hands and paws of mere **_**children **_**is going to work the way you want?**_

_Trust me, partner. They are more than capable of fulfilling their roles in this world._

…_**Hrmm… …I trust your judgment, partner… But I hope, for the sake of your chosen ones, that your agent knows what she's doing, getting herself involved…**_

…_She is a powerful Spirit, and I believe she has the wisdom to do what is right._

…_**Fine. I only hope you don't end up regretting your decision to allow her to stay. Now, I must take my leave for a while.**_

…_You may reveal yourself. He is gone now._

Aw! How'd you know it was me?

_Because I know you, my child._

Okay, fair enough…

_Ha-ha... I have to say, I never grow tired of your child-like nature._

Just how I am, I guess.

_Since you decided to come here… How goes the search for your brothers, my child?_

…Um… Not so good… Haven't gotten a lead in ages… …But, I'm not giving up! I just know they're somewhere in this world, and this time, I'm sure I'm in the right century!

_Good for you, my child._

…But, um… Is it okay if I… I mean, I wanted to ask… Could I keep a watch over these guys for a while? Something tells me I'll find a new lead if I see where the path they're traveling down is leading. Please?

_Certainly. In fact, child, I was wanting to request that you become a temporary guide for the bearer of our vessel._

You mean Pikachu?

_Exactly._

Sure, I'll do it! It'll be great to have someone else to talk to again!

* * *

**A/N: Okay, I'm sorry for taking so long, AGAIN, but as I said in my Undertale one-shot, I've been going through something kinda personal, but on the plus side, finally got this chapter done! And, wow, this is the longest chapter yet! Anyway, here we go!**

**1: Yes, Seikatsu means life in Japanese.**

**2: I know the way he acts seems a little weird, but I'm just going with how I think he acted as a kid! Frankly, I think it's cute!**

**3: I didn't make this up. This is a real song called the Cossack Lullaby, and it's in Russian. There's a video on YouTube in case you don't know how the song goes.**

**4: Yes, well, the original manga was made for a teenage audience, so expect these kinds of things in the beginning.**

**5: Yeah, don't hate the parents, okay? Some parents just don't make the best decisions. Had to say that.**

**6: Actual name of the game shop, and Japanese word for turtle.**

**7: Yeah, not surprising if you put yourself in his shoes.**

**8: Long story short, in the manga, the bully appointed himself Yugi's bodyguard and decided to 'punish' Joey and Tristan, and then demanded a lot of money from Yugi as the 'fee'. Yami Yugi showed up in the end and gave the bully a 'penalty game'.**

**9: Japanese version, Mai was flirting with him, so, yeah…**

**Well, I guess I'll end it off here. Oh, and my new goal is to finish season 1 before Halloween. See you later!**


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